Young Blood
by mckrose40
Summary: Laena Mallister never assumed becoming a ward of Lord and Lady Stark would singlehandedly be the best and worst thing her father ever did for her. She quickly grows from a sickly little girl to a beautiful young woman among the wolves of Winterfell, throwing her into the dangerous game of thrones. Question is: will she be a player or a pawn? (Also published on AO3)
1. Chapter 1

Her mother succumbed to the fever during a storm. Laena was only seven then, but she remembered it as clearly as if it were yesterday. She could recall her mother's screams as she brought her little brother into the world, her weeping as the babe died in her arms, her coughing as the fever took hold of her, and her croaking an apology to her father before closing her eyes forever. Her father didn't speak for weeks afterwards, only taking his meals in his solar and staring out over the sea from the terrace. Patrek tried to conceal his feelings beneath hours of training and riding, but whenever Laena looked into his deep blue eyes, she could see the sadness hidden within them. Laena herself didn't quite understand what had happened to her mother and baby brother – and she wouldn't for years – but she did understand that they were gone, and because of it, her family would never be the same.

Three weeks following her mother's death, friends and family arrived from every corner of Westeros to mourn the loss of Elene Mallister, including Catelyn Stark of Winterfell. Laena watched from behind a pillar in the Great Hall as her father received everyone, smiling sadly and nodding as they gave him their condolences, but when Lady Catelyn stood before him the tears ran freely down his face and he collapsed into her. Patrek found her then and explained how Lady Catelyn and their father were friends as children because their grandfather often took his eldest son with him to Riverrun, where Catelyn grew up.

During the burial, Laena squeezed her father's hand, refusing to cry. She cried once when one of her kittens had been snatched by Patrek's bird, and when her father found her sobbing on the terrace he told her not to cry because death was the natural way of life. She would not cry for her mother, at least not publicly, because she refused to look weak. Patrek did not cry nor did her father. Laena would not be an exception, no matter how distraught she became as her mother's body was laid to rest beside her baby brother's within the cliffs of Seagard. Laena knew they would be among the souls of her ancestors, and that brought her some peace, but no amount of inner peace would bring her mother back.

"Come, Laena," Patrek whispered, pulling her away from her father. Everyone had cleared out of the tomb but her father, her brother, and herself. "Let's give him a few moments alone with them."

"But they're dead. What do you say to the dead?" she asked curiously. She looked over her shoulder and saw her father kneel and place his hand over the hands of her mother's stone likeness. She drew her eyes away from the scene and looked into Patrek's again, not understanding.

"You'll understand when you're older, little sister," he assured, but Laena didn't want to wait until she was older. She was envious of her brother – already a grown man in his fourteenth year – and how he seemed to know everything. It wasn't fair. Her mother had told her often that she knew more than Patrek had known at her young age, but she wanted to know just as much as he did now. She started to pout, crossing her arms in front of her. Patrek tweaked her nose and smiled. "I promise."

She smiled up at him. "Above the rest?" she questioned, citing their house words, something that had become a habit for her after learning what the words actually meant.

He nodded, chuckling. "Above the rest." He led her from the tomb then, leaving their father to say his final goodbyes to his wife and son that he never had the chance to meet while he still breathed the same air as they did.

Laena stayed glued to Patrek's side for the rest of the evening, undoubtedly annoying him when she would pull on his shirt sleeve or grip his hand tight as she hid behind him while he talked to people that she didn't know. When a pretty, young girl – no older than Patrek – approached, he leaned down and hissed, "Go bother Father instead, Laena."

She frowned at him, huffing, before turning to search for her father. She already knew that he wouldn't be found in the Great Hall with all of those people mulling about. She walked the halls, expecting to find him standing on the terrace, but as she passed his solar she heard two distinct voice from behind the large oak doors, one belonging to her father and the other to Lady Catelyn Stark. She pressed her ear to the door.

"Please, Catelyn. I'm begging you. The girl needs a mother and–" her father began, only to be interrupted.

"What the girl needs is her father, Jason," was Catelyn's sharp reply. Laena could hear someone pacing, imagining it to be Lady Catelyn, her black dress swishing behind her as she moved about the solar. "She just lost her mother and now you're asking me to take her from her father as well. I won't do it."

"Cat, please," her father begged. "I don't know what to do. Laena's...difficult." Laena pulled back and glared at the door as if she was looking through it at her father. "Elene was the one who parented her. I was always too busy with Patrek, trying to teach him about the affairs of Seagard and– I'm sick, Cat. There are good days and there are bad days. I don't have enough energy to be a mother and a father to Laena as well as training Patrek. Gods know the boy has much more to learn before he becomes lord of anything."

"Jason," Catelyn breathed, voice just barely loud enough for Laena to hear the concern that the woman held for her father. "I'll send a raven to Ned. We've already taken one ward. I can't make you any promises, but I will try."

"You've been a good friend to me, Cat. I won't forget everything that you've done for me." Laena tore herself away from the door and leaned against the wall. She gulped and took a deep breath before pushing the doors open. "Laena? What have I told you about knocking and entering a room unannounced?" her father scolded while she shuffled closer to him, eyeing Lady Catelyn wearily. She didn't want to leave with this woman. Not now, not ever.

"I'm sorry, Father. Patrek told me to come find you. He said I should come bother you instead," she admitted, climbing into his lap. She rested her head against his shoulder and stared at the woman. "I think he likes a girl."

Her father laughed, smoothing her dark hair with one hand. "I would hope so. He's to be married to one someday." Laena smiled at him, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. "It's getting late, my sweet girl. Perhaps it's time for you to say goodnight to your brother and get prepared for bed."

She wrinkled her nose. "But I'm not tired," she cried. Her father stood up, setting her firmly on the ground. She tugged at his vest. "I want to stay up with you. Patrek never has to go to sleep this early."

"That's because Patrek isn't a seven year old girl," he countered, eyebrow raised as if challenging her. "Go, Laena. We will break our fast together in the morning before we say our goodbyes to our guests."

She turned to Lady Catelyn. "Are you leaving tomorrow too?" Laena hoped so. That would mean she could stay with her father.

The woman smiled and shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. I have some business to take care of before I can return home."

"What kind of business?" she pressed, cocking her head to one side in curiosity.

"That's enough, Laena," her father ordered. He gripped her shoulders gently and led her from his solar, straight into the hands of the waiting Septa Merser. He pressed his lips to her temple. "Goodnight, my sweet girl. Sweet dreams."

She begrudgingly went with the Septa and sat silently as the woman put her into her nightgown and brushed her hair. She did struggle slightly when the elderly woman tried to put her into bed, but when the Septa promised candied almonds for the morning, Laena pulled the covers up to her chin and shut her eyes. She kept them shut until the old woman had blown out the candles and left the room. Once she heard the door click shut her eyes were as wide as they had been when she was fully awake earlier in the day. There was too much running through her mind for her to sleep. Did her father not want her anymore? Would she be leaving Seagard to go live in a strange place with a strange woman and her strange family? She didn't want to leave. She liked Seagard and the smell of the salt water and the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs below. She heard that it snowed in the North, and Laena had never seen snow. She didn't want to.

Her father had the final say in the matter, of course, and three days later, Laena was placed onto a horse beside Lady Catelyn. "I don't want to go," she cried as she gripped her father's arm, keeping him at her side. She was crying now, something she told herself that she wouldn't do. "I want to stay here with you and Patrek. I'll be a good girl! I promise! I'll listen to everything that Septa Merser says and so as she asks. I promise! Just please don't make me leave, Father!"

Her father's eye softened and he sighed. "I'm doing this for you, my sweet girl. You'll like it at Winterfell, I know you will. And Catelyn has children closer to your age than Patrek. Be a strong girl and make House Mallister proud."

She sobbed loudly, her lip trembling. "Above the rest?" she asked through her tears.

"Above the rest. Don't forget it, Laena." He pried her hand away from his arm and kissed her hand before letting it fall to her side. "I'll come see you. I swear it. I'll even bring Patrek along." He smiled widely at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly.

Laena smiled back, unable to resist despite her melancholy attitude. "Do you swear it by the Old Gods and the New?" she asked, wiping away her tears to look expectantly at her father.

"Where in the Seven Kingdoms did you learn that phrase?" he asked, laughing.

"Septa Merser makes me swear by them when I promise to do my reading," Laena admitted. "It's not like I'd lie about it. I like reading."

"I know you do, sweet girl." He leaned in a placed a final kiss on her cheek. "Be safe and do as Lady Catelyn says. The King's Road is a dangerous place and I can't have anything happening to my little girl."

Laena nodded, biting her lip to stop the sob that threatened to spill from her mouth. She turned away from her father as the horses trotted forward, through the cobblestone streets of Seagard and away from the only home she's ever known. Laena knew that if she looked back at her father or brother she would turn her horse around and clutch her father tightly while refusing to leave. She wanted to believe everyone, that going to Winterfell would be for the best, but did anyone ever think to ask Laena what she wanted? No, and no one would've. Her mother had made sure that she understood from a very young age what women were put in the world to do: marry and many birth sons to carry on a family name.

But Laena didn't want to marry. She didn't want to have children. She wanted to travel. She wanted to be a warrior like Visenya and Nymeria and Rhaenys. Patrek often let Laena train with him and taught her how to shoot bow and arrow when she was five. She wasn't the best, and she feared she's never improve without Patrek's guidance. She had already heard Lady Catelyn discussing propriety and etiquette and things like needlework. Laena hated needlework. Septa Merser had given up trying to get her to sew after one too many bloody fingers and angry fits.

"It'll be a fortnight before we reach Winterfell," Lady Catelyn informed her. "We'll stop every few hours to feed and rest the horse, and come nightfall we'll make camp."

And they did just as she said for the next twenty-two days, finally coming upon the gates of Winterfell at midday of their twenty-third day. Lady Catelyn rode through the gates ahead of Laena, but she wasn't far behind. One of the guards helped her climb down from her horse before taking its lead and pulling it towards the stables. "Cat!" a man called out. He tore through the gathering crowd of people to approach her and pull her into a tight hug, kissing her firmly before letting her go. His gaze lifted and landed on Laena, hiding behind Catelyn's skirt. "And you must be little Lady Laena. I'm Eddard Stark, Catelyn's husband." He held his hand out, and she delicately placed hers within his. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Please accept my apologies for not being in attendance at your mother's funeral."

"Um," Laena glanced up at Catelyn, receiving a warm smile and a small nod. "Thank you," she said, though it came out as a question rather than a statement.

Lord Eddard laughed and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He looked over his shoulder at the three children stood behind him and then back at Laena. "Let me introduce you to the other children." He walked in front of two boys with similar curly hair, one black and the other a mix of dark brown and red. "These are my sons, Jon and Robb. The boy behind them is my ward, Theon Greyjoy." She narrowed her eyes at the mention of Greyjoy, making Eddard laugh. "I forgot, there's bad blood between the Greyjoys and Mallisters. You won't have any problems from Theon here, I promise my dear." He moved down the line, his hand on Laena's back guiding her beside him. "These are my daughters, Sansa and Arya." One was tall and had hair as red as her mother, while the other was small and looked more like her father, even at a young age. He stopped in front of a woman that held the hand of a child slightly smaller than the youngest girl. "And this is my youngest, Bran."

Lady Catelyn stepped forward and took hold of the small child. "Perhaps Sansa can show Lady Laena to her room. The poor girl hasn't had a decent night of sleep since we left Seagard." It was true. Despite her best efforts, Laena laid awake most nights of their journey, crying and wishing for her mother to return and take her home. It was futile, but she did so anyway, worrying Lady Catelyn. Her concerns for the younger girl brought the two closer, but they would never have a relationship similar to the one that Laena had with her mother.

Catelyn tried to make things easier for Laena during their journey to the North, but hardly anything made her smile. The one day that Laena felt truly happy was her eighth nameday. Thinking that it would come and go with no one realizing the importance of the day to her, she sulked most of the way until they stopped at an inn for the night. Catelyn had a tray of lemon cakes brought to her and presented her with a new cloak of soft furs and warm sheepskin. "I was visiting your father in Seagard the day your mother found out that you were growing inside of her. She was so convinced that you would be another boy, but I told her that she would have a girl," Catelyn told her after seeing the shocked look on Laena's face. She smiled and added, "I was right."

After that night, Laena was more comfortable around Catelyn. She hardly left her side on the road, even taking to tying her horse to Catelyn's so her horse wouldn't stray from the woman's side.

Suddenly the girl with bright, fiery hair was standing in front of her looking excited. "Come on," she said, grabbing her hand, "I'll show you to your room." She let the smaller girl pull her away, glancing back at the rest of the family one last time before disappearing into the castle.

Once Sansa left her alone and all of her things were brought into the room that was to be hers for her duration at Winterfell – she wasn't positive how long her father intended on keeping her in the North – she fell back into the bed, closing her eyes and sleeping peacefully until a young woman woke her, beckoning her to get into the tub and wash before dinner. The dress that the handmaid put her into was heavier than any of the dresses that she had ever worn at Seagard and her hair remained in a long, dark braid lying along the line of her spine. With one hesitant look at the young woman, she motioned her forward with her hands and said, not unkindly, "Go. The Starks are waiting for you, Lady Laena."

She joined the family in the Great Hall and sat between Sansa and Theon, the other ward. Laena was used to fish – and lots of it – for dinner, but on the table in front of her was an abundance of chicken, venison, and pork. Everyone pulled portions of meat into their plates while Laena stared at the meat, unsure of what to take. She looked over at Sansa's plate: chicken and a mix of vegetables. She took the same before anyone could notice her hesitation. "Laena," Eddard called her name, making her look up from her plate as she took a bite of chicken. He glanced from Laena to his wife, continuing, "The letter I received from my lady wife barely told me anything about the girl we would be taking in. I'm curious about you, as are my children." She looked down the table to see expectant faces waiting for her to speak.

"I'm eight," she offered, unsure of what they wanted to know (if anything specific at all).

"You don't look like you're eight," one of the boys – Robb – observed, eyeing her like she was an anomaly. "You hardly look any bigger than Sansa."

She narrowed her eyes at the boy. "You don't look much bigger," she sneered. Theon nearly choked on his veal from laughing. Robb narrowed his eyes and returned to his meal, keeping his eyes cast downwards at his plate. Laena turned back to the adults in front of her and clarified, "Mother always told me I was sickly as a babe. That's why I'm so small. Patrek says that what I lack in size I make up for in speed when we spar."

Sansa gasped. "Ladies aren't supposed to spar," Sansa ridiculed.

Laena's cheeks heated up. She dragged her silverware across her plate, not making eye contact with anyone. "I'm not very good at it. Patrek always went easy on me."

Catelyn tsked. "That won't matter here. You won't be sparring with the boys or wielding a sword. You'll be taking lessons with Sansa and Arya, of course. As long as you're in our care it is our duty to teach you how to act like a highborn lady of your status. Perhaps we'll even find a suitable husband for you if your father agrees to it."

Eddard chuckled when Laena's eyes grew wide in terror. "You're scaring the girl, Cat. She's only seven. She's got quite some time before she thinks about marriage."

"If Sansa was her age I would have asked you to consider Patrek Mallister for her," Catelyn countered, looking at her husband in defiance. Catelyn Stark was a highborn lady through and through, Laena had no doubt about that. "But I do suppose it is up to Jason who Laena will be wed to and when." She turned her azure gaze on Laena. "It will happen one day though, my dear. It's better to learn the etiquette of a proper lady while you're so young."

"I'm going to marry a prince," Sansa added dreamily. Laena snorted, making Catelyn look at her disappointedly but also making Theon, Jon, and Robb laugh. Sansa kept talking, ignoring Laena and the boys. "Or maybe even a knight. He'll be brave and handsome. Like Ser Jaime Lannister." Catelyn and Eddard stopped eating to look at their daughter, and Laena saw a look pass between them before they continued eating, remaining silent for the remainder of the meal, only ever whispering to each other in passing but saying nothing more to the children. The other children continued to mindlessly chatter as they ate their dinner, but Laena kept her focus on the adults, wondering what it was that had wordlessly passed between the two at the mention of the man they called Kingslayer.

The plates were all clear when Jon walked up to her and asked her to join the boys in the Godswood, playing hide and seek. Laena was eager to see something other than the dimly lit castle and gladly accepted. He took her hand and led her through the castle and courtyard until they found themselves deep in the Godswood, sitting beside Robb and Theon in front of the Heart Tree. Theon held four sticks in his hand.

"The one to get the short stick has to count first," he declared, holding the sticks out to the younger children. Robb drew first, then Laena, and finally Jon. All four held out their sticks at the same time. "Well, bastard, it looks like you're counting. I'll know if you cheat."

Jon rolled his eyes. "I'm not like you, Theon. I don't cheat." He covered his eyes with his gloved hands, peeking through his fingers not once to look at them as he said, "Stay _in_ the Godswood. Last time I spent an hour looking before I realized you two went back to the castle."

"Robb made me do it," Theon accused. Robb laughed and pushed Theon playfully.

"Whatever. Count to fifty?" Jon nodded in response and covered his eyes again, this time not peeking. Robb turned to Laena and grabbed her wrist before she left to find a hiding spot. He nodded towards her cloak and the trail of mud and snow that it was leaving in the light dusting of snow that covered the floor of the forest. "Pick that up and carry it or Jon will find you right away."

Laena nodded. "Thanks." She lifted her cloak around her and checked to make sure it didn't touch the ground. When she was sure she would leave no tracks, she hurried in the direction opposite of where Theon had gone. She ran past large rocks and even large trees, some of which she's never seen, before finally finding a small, stout pine tree that brushed the forest floor. Despite the damp ground and her new dress, she crawled underneath the tree until she was fully hidden beneath it. She sat quietly, watching with halted breath as a pair of feet ran past her, only feet from her face. She tried to crawl further into the undergrowth beneath the tree but snagged her dress on a root, tearing it. It was loud enough for Jon to hear, and he quickly turned around and approached the tree again. A hand slipped over her mouth, silencing her completely as whoever it was pulled her closer to him and further into the darkness of the tree.

When Jon turned around and walked in the opposite direction, Laena bit down on the hand that covered her mouth. "Ow!" he yelped in pain. She craned her neck to see Robb – barely, it was so dark under that tree – holding his hand to his chest. "What the hell was that for?"

Laena looked at him in disbelief. "I didn't know it was you! What if you were a kidnapper or a rapist or–"

"But it wasn't! It was me!" he hissed. "And you bloody bit me."

"You shouldn't have taken my hiding spot. Then we wouldn't have this problem," she countered, raising an eyebrow. If she could, her hands would have been on her hips as she stared at him intently.

"This was my hiding spot first," he shot back. "I always hide here." His face was muddy and his hair was disheveled, sap making it stick together at odd angles. Laena could only imagine what she looked like.

"What's the point of playing hide and seek if you hide in the same spot every time?" she questioned.

Robb smirked and told her, "No one's ever found me."

Laena frowned. "You must be so proud," she deadpanned. "Your mother is going to have a cow when she sees how dirty you are."

"I'm not the one who ripped my dress," he argued. "Plus, you look like a little wildling girl." He picked at a twig in her tangled hair, pulling it out and showing it to her with a smug grin on his face.

"You've seen a wildling before?"

His face dropped. "Well, no," he began, "but Uncle Benjen is a ranger on the Wall and when he comes to Winterfell he tells us stories about them. He goes beyond the wall and fights the wildling all the time."

"That doesn't mean you know what a wildling actually looks like. The Night's Watch doesn't fight children, so your uncle's probably never seen one either," she argued, smiling innocently at him. She reached over and tugged on some of the sap that was stuck in his hair. He hissed in pain as she giggles, "Sorry."

"You did that on purpose!" he accused, rubbing his sore scalp.

"I did not!" she snapped.

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"You guys do realize the point of hide and seek is to not get found right?" Both turned their head to look at Jon as he stared at them, head tilted to look at them without getting on the ground himself. "I could hear your shouting from the other side of the Godswood."

Laena glared at Robb as Jon held his hand out to help her out. "It's his fault," she muttered.

Jon pulled her out helped her brush her cloak off before looking her over. His eyes stopped at the tear in her dress, running across her ribs. "Is that his fault too?" he asked.

Robb had just crawled out from under the tree. "Nothing was my fault. She stole my hiding place," he snarled, brushing his pants off. "She's a nasty little thing. She pulled my hair."

"Let's just get back before Catelyn sends out a search party." The sky was getting dark, the sun completely hidden beyond the horizon. Robb and Laena were able to agree that neither wanted to be in more trouble than they surely would be in already once Catelyn took a good look at their appearances. Robb sent Laena one final, nasty look before stalking off towards the castle. "Lady Laena," Jon called, offering his arm.

Laena took it and furrowed her brows. "Why do you call your mother by her name?" she asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

"She's not my mother," he grumbled.

Suddenly, it dawned on her. "That's why Theon called you bastard." She felt Jon flinch at the word. "You know, my favorite cousin is a bastard. My uncle Jeffory only had a daughter by a tavern wench. She's a few years older than I am, but her status doesn't make me think less of her. I won't think any less of you either," she confirmed, squeezing his arm reassuringly.

"Lady Catelyn won't like it if you treat me as well as the others. She doesn't like me very much," he confided, but then changed his statement. "She doesn't really like me at all, really. I actually think that she hates me."

Laena stopped walking and looked at him with sad eyes. "That's cruel."

"I doesn't matter," Jon stated, pulling her along with him. "I am what I am, and I live with it. You should too." Laena mulled it over as they walked through the courtyard. She didn't like hearing that Jon was treated differently. Her cousin was the only thing that remained of her uncle Jeffory, and her father made sure that Abygael was fed and clothed, even paying off her mother's debts and giving them a suitable place to live just outside of Seagard. Abygael even joined them for dinner some nights while her mother worked.

Lady Catelyn stood on the stoop, waiting for her, looking more and more displeased the closer the pair came. When her eyes landed on Jon, she ignored him completely, acting as if he simply didn't exist. She looked Laena up and down, frowning when she saw the tear in the blue fabric of her dress. "Laena," she scolded, "how, pray tell, did you get so filthy." Laena didn't miss Catelyn's eyes flitting disapprovingly over to Jon. "Come child, let's go get you cleaned up. You can't sleep with that sap in your hair."

Laena looked back at Jon as Catelyn guided her through the doors of the castle, leading her swiftly to her room where she stripped and stepped into a steaming bath for the second time that day. This time, however, Catelyn helped her wash instead of a handmaid.

"Lady Catelyn?"

"Please, just call me Catelyn dear. There's no need to be formal when it's just family around," Catelyn ordered as she brushed through Laena's tangled hair. Laena ground her teeth together as Catelyn pulled on a particularly difficult knot.

"If you're not Jon's mother, then who is?" Catelyn abruptly stopped running the brush through her hair, seeming to freeze altogether. Laena turned to look at the woman, who had a blank expression on her face. "Catelyn?"

She shook herself from her thoughts, returning to brush the girl's hair. "I don't know," she admitted in a soft whisper. "Ned will not tell me and I do not ask. You shouldn't either." It was a warning, Laena could tell as much. Instead of pressing further she only nodded and relaxed into the water. Catelyn plaited her hair simply when she was finished brushing it. "Let's get you dried off and into bed. It's far too late for you to still be up. Your father would throw a fit if he knew you weren't in bed right now."

Laena smiled at her new foster mother. "It's a good thing you won't tell him then."

Catelyn smiled back, tweaking her nose like her father used to. "Indeed it is." Laena stood, water dripping from her body, and Catelyn used a strip of cloth to dry her. She helped tie the laces of her nightgown, one much thicker than the ones she was used to wearing at Seagard, and tucked her into bed. "Sweet dreams, child." Catelyn extinguished the remaining candles and left the room, shutting the door softly behind her.

Laena liked the Starks well enough, though she still missed her brother and father every single second of the day. It will just take time, Laena told herself, though how much time she didn't know. Perhaps she would only remain for a month, perhaps for a year. She felt like a fish out of water, a Riverlands girl in the North, surrounded by Northerners save for Lady Catelyn. She told herself she wouldn't cry herself to sleep that night like she had every other night since leaving Seagard, but she hadn't been keeping her promises to herself lately and her first night in Winterfell would not be an exception.


	2. Chapter 2

Months came and went, but Laena remained at Winterfell. Her father had written to her twice in that time. Patrek three times as often. She tried her hardest to remain indifferent to the strange ways of the Northerners and the beauty of their lands, but her efforts were in vain. She was mystified by the vast northern lands and its people.

She saw her first heavy summer snow only four months after she arrived. Hesitant at first, Laena stepped outside. It felt like rain but colder, and she stuck her tongue out to catch the tiny falling flakes on her tongue. Sansa twirled about beside her, the skirt of her pale blue dress spinning around and around and around as she went, laughing the entire time. Laena, however, hugged her cloak of soft wool and bearskin close to her small frame. It was colder than the waters of Ironman's Bay after the cold wind currents brought the waters crashing against the rocks below the castle. But it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The pureness of the soft white flakes awed her, as did the way it melted on the warm skin of her face. She had only ever heard tales of the summer snows from her mother when she was hardly more than a babe, but she never could have imagined something so _wonderful_.

She had been sitting in her room, playing games with Sansa when the younger girl noticed the flurry of white outside of the window, hopping to her feet and squealing excitedly. She grabbed Laena's cloak from her chest, threw it at her, and rushed from the room. Laena hardly had any time to put her cloak on before Sansa returned, her own cloak securely fastened around her shoulders, and pulled her from the room and through the castle until they stood together in the courtyard.

"Have you ever seen snow before, Laena?" The younger girl had asked.

She only shook her head in response before catching another flake on her tongue. "It's beautiful," she replied, filling her cupped hands with snow from the stones below her and releasing it into the air once again, letting it fall around her. She shivered when some landed on the back of her bare neck, but besides that once instance, Laena found that the cold didn't bother her as much as she had originally thought. "It's the Northern blood that runs through your veins," Eddard had told her when she voiced her thoughts aloud one evening during dinner. Laena smiled at the thought, feeling every bit like a true Northerner in that moment. She knew her mother would be proud, and that thought made her happy.

Ever since that first day in the snow, whenever the sky would turn grey and flecks of white powder would rain down upon the ground, Laena and the other children would don their heavy cloaks and run to the Godswood, playing among the trees for hours until Catelyn or Rodrik or even Eddard would come find them, beckoning them to dinner or something other that requires their immediate attention.

Three years passed by quickly – Laena kept track – and she still remained in the North. It didn't bother her anymore as it once had, being away from her family for such a long period of time. The Starks had become her new family, and though she would always put her father and Patrek first, she suddenly felt at home with her foster family. If her father were to arrive and call her home, she didn't know how she would feel. She no longer wept for her father in the dead of the night and she no longer longed for the salty air of Seagard. In the North she felt free. She felt wild, and it excited her.

She started skipping her lessons with Septa Mordane and the girls just shortly after her ninth nameday. At first, she just say in her room and read about the dragons and women warriors, but after a few weeks she got bored of that and snuck down to the yard to watch as Robb and Jon and sometimes Theon crossed swords, the clang of steel ringing in the air. Laena longed to be armored and armed like them. She wanted to fight them and prove that she was as capable as them. She told Jon just as much in the Godswood one night after dinner, and from that night on, after dinner her and Jon would sneak away and train in the woods. It didn't take long for Robb and Theon to find them.

"You hit like a girl," Robb called out to her, smirking as he sat against a tree and chewed on a piece of jerky.

Laena took the bait and lowered her sword. She glared at him and hissed, "That's because I am a girl!" Jon used her distraction to his advantage – not that he needed an advantage – and struck her right below the ribs. She turned her glare on him. "Ow! What was that for?"

Jon looked at her blankly. "You lowered your guard."

"Because I was talking to Robb," she defended, throwing her blunt sword to the ground, angry and embarrassed. Robb and Theon snickered. Laena glared at them and smiled smugly when they promptly shut up and lowered their gaze.

"Never let your guard down, my dear," a voice said from behind her. She spun around to see Eddard standing behind her. Her eyes widened and her cheeks grew even redder. "Well, show me what you can do." He sat down on a rock near Robb and Theon and looked at her expectantly. "Go on."

Laena was hesitant to pick up her sword again, feeling like she would be scolded for partaking in unladylike activities. But Eddard wasn't Catelyn. She picked the sword up and took her stance, waiting for Jon to attack. He moved forward quickly, slashing this way and that, but Laena moved quicker, easily blocking his attacks. Jon fell back after a while, allowing Laena to catch her breath. The boy was bigger and stronger than her, and she had used most of her energy defending herself. She ignored Robb and Theon's taunting words and kept her focus trained on Jon. Feeling bold, she attacked first rather than sitting back and relying on defense. Jon hadn't been expecting her to advance, sword down and not as focused as he normally was. He had underestimated her and indirectly gave her the upper hand. Laena's excitement and pride drove her to push Jon further back with every attack. He was fast enough to block every swing of her sword, though he was clearly surprised by her newfound determination to beat him.

They parried for longer than either had been expecting, but the result was the same as every night before: Laena on her back as Jon held his sword over her. Jon lowered his sword, offered his hand, and helped her to her feet. She was brushing the dirt from the breeches she had borrowed from Jon – it had taken days to restitch them to fit her properly – when Eddard approached her. He knelt down on one knee to look her in eyes. "You fought well, my dear. Catelyn won't like it, but perhaps it's time you joined the boys in the yard and continued to train. It would seem the year of stitching lessons hasn't completely made you forget what you learned from your brother."

Laena smiled widely. "Do you mean that? You'll let me train with them?"

Eddard chuckled as he stood. "Of course. Catelyn will never agree to allow you on hunts with the boys, but I should be able to talk her into allowing you practice your swordplay."

Laena hugged him tightly, her small arms hardly wrapping around his large frame. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He laughed, ruffling her hair. "You four should start back to the castle." The boys began to walk in the direction of the castle, but Eddard held Laena firmly in place. "Try not to let Catelyn see you wearing that. She'll never let you out of her sight if she does," he warned.

Laena nodded and started to walk, but turned around after a few steps and asked, "Aren't you coming back as well?"

Eddard smiled softly at her. "I'll be in shortly after you. I wish to have some time alone with my Gods." Laena lowered her gaze as she turned around and hurried after the boys, smiling as she went. From that day forward, she would be practicing with the boys and one day, she promised herself, she would be better than them all.

Two more years had passed after that night with as much indication of returning home as the first year in the Stark's care. She practiced swordplay in the yard with Robb, Jon, and Theon every day after hurrying through her needlework. (Catelyn agreed to let Laena cross swords with the boys only if she continued her stitching lessons). She grew bigger, though not by much. The boys towered over her now more than ever, but she still held her own against each of them. At eleven, she was a fierce little thing; Robb even told his father so on numerous occasions. Theon was her favorite to spar against because, although he was nearly fifteen, he was more apt at using a bow than he was a sword, making him Laena's easiest opponent. He still overpowered her, but Laena was making it harder for him to beat her with every passing day. Jon was careful not to hurt her, although he always beat her easily, but Robb was different. He fought her as if she were his brother. The days that she was against Robb, she always went to bed sore and bruised. Shortly after her twelfth nameday Robb even made her cry one day, and it was the only day he showed any concern for her during their childhood. Theon laughed as she cried, holding her broken wrist to her body as if she were cradling a babe. Jon went to fetch Maester Luwin while Robb stared at her with wide azure eyes, stammering incomprehensibly. She was forced to sit out of any swordplay for the next month, and Laena resented Robb for it. If he hadn't been so hell-bent on making her yield – she never yielded – he never would have broken her wrist.

She watched from her spot atop the fence as Jon and Theon crossed swords in the yard and Ser Rodrik barked at them, instructing them. Her eyes scanned the yard, taking note of the lack of people. Eddard had taken a large party out for a hunt two days ago, going as far south as Moat Cailin. Her gaze landed on Robb, who was staring at her apprehensively. When he noticed that she was looking at him as well, he approached her and pulled himself up to sit beside her.

"I'm sorry about...you know," he told her, refusing to look her in the eye. Instead, he stared blankly at the two other boys as Jon knocked Theon to the ground.

"Actually, I don't know. You should be specific," she retorted, looking at him expectantly.

He huffed, clearly annoyed. "I'm sorry for being a prick and hurting you. I never meant to break your wrist, I just– Father favors you," he told her, frowning deeply. "I wish you would be like Sansa and spend your time doing needlework and daydreaming about handsome knights and lords, but you don't. You're weird."

Offended, Laena slapped his arm lightly. "I am not! Why should I spend my time learning things that I hate? I like playing with you and Jon and Theon. It's fun."

"It's not supposed to be fun," Robb countered, sounding awfully stern for a boy of only twelve. "We practice because someday there'll be another war that we have to fight. It's life or death for us."

"And it will be for me, too" Laena assured him. "If war ever comes, I will fight for my father at my brother's side."

Robb shook his head, looking at her with a strange look in his eyes. "No. Even if some women do fight, they're all bigger than you. Even the smallest man could cut you down on a battlefield."

Laena raised her brows, growing even more offended. "You're wrong. In a few years, I'll be just as good at wielding a sword as you or Jon, and I'll be even better than Theon with a bow," she told him with such determination. She was going to prove him wrong, starting the very second Maester Luwin cleared her to continue practicing.

"If you say so," he deadpanned. Robb hopped from the fence as Ser Rodrik called him to the center of the yard. He glanced back at her one last time, sighing and shaking his head as he left her alone. His wide smile appeared on his face as he raised his sword, poised to face off against Theon.

Jon occupied the space that Robb had given up, glancing at her wearily. "You know, your brother is a cocky ass," she muttered. "I could still defend myself with one hand and show him that I'm not weak. I'm a Mallister, and Mallisters are strong. Always."

Jon's lips twisted up into a barely-there smile. "I believe you. I could feel the tension between the two of you from over there." He nodded to where Robb and Theon parried. "You should just hit him, real good, once. Then he'll back off."

Laena laughed. "I highly doubt that. He seems intent on making me miserable."

"I think he likes you," Jon admitted, shrugging. Laena stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to think. Abruptly, she burst into uncontrollable laughter and lost her balance, falling backwards into the dirt. She continued to laugh even after Jon, Robb, Theon, and Ser Rodrik looked down upon her, faces etched with concern. "It wasn't really that funny," Jon told them when they questioned him.

Laena wiped a stray tear off of her face. "It was hilarious," she corrected. She held a hand up, but no one moved. "Well," she started, "is someone going to help me up." Robb took her hand and pulled her to her feet, holding her arms to steady her.

"Alright, that's enough excitement for today," Ser Rodrik declared. "Go get cleaned up. Lady Catelyn wouldn't be happy with me if you arrived at the table all dirty and sweating."

Laena left the yard with Jon at her side, looking at him seriously before laughing once more when they parted ways. She arrived at her room where the young handmaid, Nell, was waiting for her with a tub filled with steaming water. Nell was careful to avoid her broken wrist, washing all of the dirt and grime of the day away before drying and dressing her. "Lady Catelyn wants you to look your best tonight. Said you're expecting some guests. They should've arrived by now, I'd think," Nell chattered absentmindedly while brushing Laena's hair. Instead of the normal braid, Nell left it down with only small braids to keep her hair out of her eyes. "Lady Catelyn said it's very important."

Laena could only think of a few people that would be arriving at such short notice: her father and Patrek were finally visiting after years of empty promises. Laena could hardly contain her excitement, running from her room the moment Nell was finished preparing her for dinner. She nearly knocked down a few servants on her way, but Laena hardly noticed. She reached the Great Hall in record time and ran to the man she recognized immediately, jumping into his arms after he noticed her. "My sweet girl. I've missed you," he greeted. "Lord Eddard tells me you've been injured recently." Laena held out her hand for her father to inspect. "That'll heal in no time at all and you'll be back in the yard, ready to take on the world."

"I don't know about the world, but my sons are fine opponents for her," Eddard said as he approached, having returned from his hunt only recently. "She learns quickly and is very able. I have to say, I'm very impressed with your daughter, Lord Jason."

"My little sister is the reincarnation of Nymeria herself." She glanced around her father and saw her brother standing beside an unknown boy, smiling at her. "Well, are you going to say hello to your big brother?" he teased. Laena smiled at him and gave him a hug. "I suppose I've missed you, too. I haven't had anyone to steal sweet cakes from the kitchen with since you've been gone. I got caught by Septa Merser one night and never went back." He shuddered at the mention of it.

"You never were good at being quiet, with the way you stomp around all of the time," Laena said nonchalantly. "I, on the other, am very light on my feet." She smiled as she twirled around as quiet as a mouse. She started to laugh, and soon Patrek joined in, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder.

"That's enough, you two," their father chided, though he was smiling widely at their reunion. "Laena, unfortunately your brother and I aren't here to just visit. We've arranged a marriage between House Forrester and ours."

Laena looked at her father, confused, until Patrek spun around so she was facing the mystery man. "Lady Laena, it's wonderful to meet you. I'm Asher Forrester." The blond boy – or man, he looked to be of age with Patrek – took her hand in his and pressed his lips to it delicately. He smiled at her and Laena smiled back. He was handsome.

"Laena, this is the part where you say something back to him," Patrek taunted, placing her back on her feet.

"Um," her cheeks were reddening, "it's nice to meet you, too. You said Forrester?" He nodded. "You're family are bannermen of the Starks," she concluded.

"They are. Asher's family controls most of the ironwood supply, though I suppose the Whitehills control a portion of it," Eddard informed her just as the rest of the family arrived in the Great Hall. "How is Lord Gregor these days? I'm afraid I haven't been able to visit lately."

"Father is well, though the Whitehills have been giving him more trouble recently," Asher admitted. Eddard and Asher continued their conversation as Catelyn embraced Laena's father and led him to the head table on the dais and the children sat themselves at the table directly in front of the adults. The room was full that night, guards and servants alike joining the grand feast to welcome Laena's family and the man that she had just met, her intended. Throughout the meal, Laena was hesitant to meet Asher's gaze, though when she did she couldn't help but smile at him. Sansa sat beside her, informing her about everything she needed to know about Asher. "He's the second son, so he won't be lord, but he is very able with a sword and I hear he's well on his way to knighthood," she had said before adding, "And you'd never have to worry about coin. His family controls the ironwood forest!" After a moment of silence, Sansa leaned in and whispered. "He's very handsome. Just imagine how beautiful your children would be."

Laena choked on her food then, coughing loudly. Concerned eyes fell on her, but she simply took a drink of her cider and smiled. Laena hadn't even flowered! She didn't want to think about having children with a man she had only just met. She glared at Sansa before turning her attention back to Asher, listening to the story he was telling the boys about his family's feud with the Whitehills. It wasn't a story that interested her, but she would do anything to get the thought of children and marriage out of her head.

"Laena, dear," Catelyn called to her once the plates had all been cleared. "Perhaps you could escort your guest on a round through the Godswood."

Laena looked to her father. He nodded and Laena put a smile on her face as she stood up and approached Asher. He returned her smile and offered her his arm, which she gladly took as she escorted him from the Great Hall and out into the night. They remained silent for a majority of their walk, listening to the sounds of the forest instead of speaking. Laena felt awkward and didn't know what to say if she were going to say anything at all. Asher was the first to speak, asking her about herself. She told him about growing up at Seagard, about her mother's death and her subsequent move to Winterfell, about practicing swordplay with the boys and her lack of patience for needlework, about her desire to return to Seagard and her desire to remain at Winterfell all at once.

"Someday you could come visit Ironrath. It will be your home someday," he offered. "My sisters would love you, especially Talia. She'd sing you all the songs she knows about Nymeria, Rhaenys and Visenya."

"That sounds nice. I'd like that very much," she replied, and it was the truth. Laena wanted to travel and see more, and if a trip into the wolfswood to Ironrath was all she was going to get, she would be okay with that. During her walk with Asher, she felt herself growing more and more comfortable with him. She and Asher grew closer over the span of the two weeks that he and her family remained as guests at Winterfell and soon, before her father, brother, and Asher were preparing to leave Winterfell, she started to imagine herself at Asher's side as his wife. It was strange to think of, since she wasn't even in her thirteenth year yet, but yet she did.

"Your father's decided we won't marry until shortly after your fourteenth nameday, even if you've already flowered," Asher told her as he was readying his horse for the journey home. "Have you?" he asked suddenly, hands halting his saddle.

"Have I what?" Laena queried, confused by his sudden question.

Asher lowered his voice. "Have you flowered already?" he asked, clarifying his earlier question.

Laena's eyes widened and she blushed. "I– Um, no. I haven't. Not yet," she stammered, stumbling over her own words. "Lady Catelyn says that's normal though."

Asher laughed, relieving some of the tension. "Of course it is." He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "You'll come visit me, right?" he asked hopefully, lips only inches from hers. She nodded, eyes trained on his lips. He smiled and leaned in again, only this time pressing his lips softly to hers. It was a chaste kiss, but Laena's first nonetheless. Her face heated up when she saw her brother looking at her, smirking with an eyebrow raised. Asher's hands fell from her face and he climbed atop of his horse, gripping the reins in his hand as he told her, "I'll send a raven when I reach Ironrath."

Laena said her quick goodbyes to her father and Patrek just before the horses trotted through the gates. She watched silently as they grew smaller and smaller on the horizon, eventually disappearing completely out of sight. "Isn't he wonderful?" Laena turned to see Sansa staring after them dreamily. "Mother said someday I might marry him."

Laena couldn't hold back her snort of laughter. "Patrek?" she asked incredulously. She found it hard to imagine the lanky ten year old that stood beside her marrying her older brother. Patrek was nearly twice her age, but Sansa paid no mind to that. "Sansa, sweetling, you don't want to marry Patrek. Trust me."

"But I do," she cried. "He's handsome and brave. He'll be lord of Seagard one day, and I'll be his lady. Mother says it can be arranged once I flower. You'll be a woman soon," Sansa stated, "and then you'll be married. I overheard my mother and your father talking about sending you to Ironrath when you flower."

Laena looked at the younger girl, brows furrowed and a frown on her face. She walked away without another word, confused and upset. She didn't want to leave. She passed Robb on her way to her room. He reached out and grabbed her arm, opened his mouth to say something before snapping it shut again, and then stalked off in the opposite direction. Now more confused than ever, Laena returned to her room and stayed there the rest of the night. She prayed to the Mother and the Maiden, begging them to delay her moonblood until it was absolutely necessary for her to leave Winterfell and become Asher's wife.

Three weeks later, she flowered.

Laena tried to hide it from Catelyn, but shortly after she woke with red thighs and red sheets, Catelyn was in her room, telling her what it meant for her. It was then that Laena broke down, crying about how she didn't want to leave and describing how Sansa had told her she would go to Ironrath after she flowered. Catelyn laughed in response, running a soothing hand down Laena's sleek hair. "That girl needs to stop eavesdropping. It does no one any good," she muttered and added, "You won't be leaving. Your father suggested it, but I told him it would be better for you to remain here until your fourteenth nameday."

Laena hugged her tightly. "Thank you," she murmured. "I didn't want to leave."

Catelyn comforted her until all of her tears were gone. Afterwards, Laena dressed in her borrowed breaches and wrapped her wrist the way that Maester Luwin instructed her before rushing to the yard. She found Robb walking through the castle on her way, and she slowed her pace to match his. Lately, Robb had ignored her completely. She preferred it when he was mean to her rather than not speaking to her. He refuses to look at her during meals, never wanted to face her in the yard, and went out of his way to avoid her whenever he could. For a boy of fourteen, he was acting more childish than Rickon.

"What's your problem?" Laena finally asked when he tried to lengthen his strides and put distance between them. "You've been avoiding me for weeks. I understand that you don't like me, but this is getting ridiculous."

"Just leave me alone, Laena," he grumbled. Laena kept up with him – barely – as he continued his fast paced walk through the castle. "That means go somewhere else."

"I know what it means," she spat back. "I'm just not going anywhere until you give me a reason."

He spun on his heel, making Laena crash into his chest, hard. Laena looked up into his azure eyes, something unreadable passing through them as she gripped his arms to keep her from falling. "You're getting married soon. It would be improper for us to be seen together too much."

Laena rolled her eyes. "That's a lie and you know it. I spend more time with Jon and Theon than I do with you. Neither of them are worried about being _improper_."

Robb's eyes flared with anger. "You don't get it, do you? You're best friends with Jon, and everyone knows that you wouldn't even look twice at Theon that way – he's a Greyjoy and you're a Mallister – but me..." He trailed off, jaw clenching as he averted his gaze.

"But you what?" Laena pressed stepping closer. "What, Robb?"

"I can't– I– You're going to be married within the year, and– Theon leers at you whenever your dress is low-cut and I have to sit there and listen to the crude jokes he makes about you and I–"

"You're jealous," she reasoned incredulously. "I can't believe it. All this time, I thought you hated me, but you're just mad because you can't have me." She stared at him in disbelief, eyes wide and jaw dropped slightly. "This is unbelievable." She pushed him. "You've been terrible to me from day one, but you sit here now and avoid me and tell me I wouldn't understand when really you're just a jealous mess."

Robb looked at her with dark, angry eyes before turning and stalking in the opposite direction. She wanted to chase after him but knew that doing so would only cause more problems. She continued towards the yard, hoping that some swordplay would take her mind off of Robb and his confession (or lack thereof). The summer snows were beginning again, and she pulled her cloak over her shoulders as the cold air hit her when she stepped outside. She could already hear the sound of steel meeting steel and ambled towards the yard.

"Look who finally decided to join us," Theon called out, groaning as Jon used his distraction to place a hard hit at his knees, knocking the older boy to the ground. "What's got our fair lady looking so distracted?"

"Nothing," she mumbled, taking her spot on the fence. She watched as Theon and Jon went one more round, eyes flickering up to Robb when he finally appeared on the opposite side of the yard. Robb kept his gaze locked on the two boys, while Laena watched him, looking for any indication that she had been wrong. She wanted to have been wrong because if she had been right an array of problems would sprout from that one feeling he felt for her. She would turn into the tiny eleven year old she had once been who chased after him despite how mean he was to her. She didn't want that. She tried to tell herself that she didn't want him. She was only thirteen, half a year away from being fourteen. She didn't know what she wanted.

But a small part of her did, and that part of her was telling her Robb, Robb, Robb. Suddenly, she and Robb were avoiding each other, only ever speaking to each other at dinner when necessary. They would practice in the yards at different times of the day, he with Theon and her with Jon. Laena started to spend more time with Sansa, working on her needlework despite hating it. She spent more time with Jon as well, riding through the Wolfswood, wondering if Robb would even notice if she suddenly disappeared further into the forest to Ironrath. She thought about it more than once, but Jon was always there to change her mind and bring her back to Winterfell. When Robb's fifteenth nameday came, Laena was friendlier with him, but after the day had passed, they became like strangers once more.

It wasn't until a letter from Ironrath arrived only a month before her fourteenth nameday that the walls they put up finally fell and they gave in. Laena was sitting in the Godswood, reading, when Eddard came to her, looking sullen. He handed her the letter for her to read, brows furrowing as she read. "What does that mean?" she asked, still looking at the letter in disbelief. "Am I still engaged?"

"Asher is being sent to Essos by his father. He's being exiled, and Lord Gregor did not say for how long. The Forresters are willing to end the engagement if you so wish," Eddard told her.

She closed her book and stood up. "What will happen if I wish to end the engagement?"

"It means you'll be unpromised and a marriage candidate to anyone of high birth in Westeros, I suppose. Your father has the final say in the matter." She tried to hand the letter back to him, but he shook his head, refusing. "Keep it. Read it over a few times and decide. Your father is expecting a raven once you've made up your mind."

"That's not necessary," she assured. "I do not wish to remain engaged to an exiled man. Please write to my father and Lord Forrester and tell them of my wishes to end the engagement."

Eddard smiled sadly. "I will. Things will work out for you in the future, Laena. Don't let this discourage you," he said before turning and walking away.

She was just about to open her book and continue where she left off when she realized just what the end of her engagement meant. "Wait!" she called after Eddard, running to catch him despite her dress making it difficult to move very quickly. When she reached him she asked breathlessly, "Do you know where I can find Robb?"

Eddard smiled knowingly. "He's in the Glass Garden, my dear. Go, before he disappears again."

Laena smiled before picking up the skirt of her dress and running towards the gardens, letter crumpled in her hand. She reached the gardens just as he was exiting them, and she put her hands on his chest and pushed him back in. "Laena, we really shouldn't–"

"Read this," she ordered, shoving the letter into his hands. She watched anxiously as he read the letter, smiling as his eyes grew wide with understanding.

"You're not getting married next month?" She shook her head, smiling widely. She was breathless from running to him, but when his lips captured hers the breathlessness didn't even compare to what she started feeling then. He pressed her against one of the stone pillars, kissing her so unlike the kiss she received from Asher before he left Winterfell all those months ago. She had to push him away so she could breathe. "I'll convince them," he whispered to her, pressing a kiss below her ear.

"Convince who? And of what?" she asked, laughing as his lips tickled her neck.

He pulled back to look into her eyes, his own a shade of blue darker than normal. "I'll convince my father to arrange for us to be married."


	3. Chapter 3

Laena leaned against the fence, admiring Robb as he moved swiftly across the yard, meeting Jon blow for blow. She liked the way his muscles were becoming ever so present under his clothes and showing with every movement he made. Her eyes lingered on his body, staring appreciatively as she licked her lips.

"You're starting to drool, Mallister," Theon jeered, snorting with laughter beside her.

Laena rolled her eyes and shoved him. "Whatever, Greyjoy. You're just mad I'm not lookin' at you like that," she retorted. She looked at him and smirked, raising an eyebrow as she cocked her head to the side smugly. She returned her gaze to the two boys crossing swords, smiling proudly as Robb disarmed Jon.

"The two of you eye fuck each other so much it's starting to make me sick." He faked gagged as Robb smiled over at her. Robb rolled his eyes at his friends before offering a hand to his brother. Theon reached over, tugging at the low collar of her dress. "You know, I'm sure Robb wouldn't mind if I took just a small peek. It's not fair if he's the only one who can truly appreciate your tits."

Laena slapped his hand away and glared at him. "Fucking hell, Theon! How many times do I have to tell you he's never seen me naked? Do I need to slap you upside the head for you to fully comprehend that?" He shrugged, and Laena swung at him, making him flinch. The slap resounded around the yard despite the sound of clashing steel, and both Robb and Jon lowered their swords to look over at the other pair.

"What'd he say to you this time?" Robb asked, clearly irritated.

"He's just being stupid. Don't worry about it," she assured him with a smile. When Robb and Jon returned to practicing their swordplay she turned and frowned at Theon. "I'll hit you harder next time."

"I was just curious," he muttered sheepishly, but Laena knew it was all an act when he grinned wolfishly at her. "S'not my fault you grew up and don't look like an eight year old boy anymore."

Laena gaped at him, offended. "I never looked like a boy!" she roared, face red with anger and embarrassment. She huffed and muttered, "I'm leaving." She stalked away, listening to Theon's laughter followed by Robb yelling at him.

She returned to her room and settled down in her bed with her book after kicking her shoes off. She lay on her stomach, reading about the Targaryen's again, something that Eddard always frowned about, but she found their history fascinating. Far more fascinating than her own family's history. She was reading about the Dance of the Dragons, having just finished reading about Maegor the Cruel. She was nearly fifteen pages in when her door opened and closed softly behind her visitor. She looked up from her book to see Robb leaning back against the door. She dropped her gaze back to her book, saying, "You really shouldn't be in here. People will start to talk if someone found you in my room."

"I wanted to see you," he confessed, moving towards the bed. "And people ready talk about us. We're the latest subject of the old ladies gossip, didn't you know?" She felt it sink slightly as his weight joined hers on the bed. "What did Theon say to you?" She opened her mouth to say "nothing", but Robb stopped. "And don't say nothing because I know that whatever he said bothered you."

Laena marked her page and closed the book. She looked up at him, rolling over onto her back so her head rested in his lap. "It didn't bother me, per say, mostly just annoyed me. He's been making these comments ever since he caught us in the Godswood a few nights ago."

He smiled, chuckling softly. "We weren't very discreet that night, were we?"

Laena wrapped a hand around his neck, pulling his face down to hers. "No, we weren't. But I suppose since we're behind closed doors now, we can..." She trailed off, pressing her lips to his, softly at first and then again with more pressure and urgency. She broke the kiss momentarily to scramble into his lap, straddling his legs as she pressed her body closely to his. He groaned as she writhed in his lap, clutching her hips tightly. She laughed against his neck, trailing her lips upwards to his jaw and mouth.

"You're not making this easy for me," he said against her lips, biting down on her lower lip slightly. She moved her hips, grinding against him. (Ever since she learned just what that movement did to him in the broken tower one night a few months ago, she constantly did it to him mercilessly). He growled and flipped them over as his tongue plunged into her mouth, starting a dance with hers. Her hands ran through his curls absentmindedly, tugging at a strand every now and then. They were lost in their own world, enjoying the feel and taste of each other.

So lost that they almost didn't hear the knock on the door. Laena quickly sat up, fixing her hair and eying the door cautiously. "Lady Laena? Lady Catelyn bid me to come get you prepared for dinner," Nell called from the other side of the door.

Laena turned and looked at Robb desperately. "What do we do? Nell can't find you in here! She'll go straight to your mother." She blinked a few times, shaking her head. "You need to hide. Get under the bed. Stay back close to the wall."

"Are you serious?" he asked as he stood up, brows pulled together as he stared at her.

"Lady Laena?" Nell called again, sounding weary. She knocked again.

"Very," she hissed as she fixed the skirt of her dress. "Hurry up!" Robb gave her inscrutable look before hesitantly getting on the ground and crawling beneath her bed. When he was completely hidden underneath, Laena opened the door for Nell and smiled. "I'm sorry. I was reading and just couldn't tear my eyes away from the page."

Nell smiled warmly at her as she prepared the tub. "It's alright, child. I know how exciting some of those old books can be. What are you reading about, if you don't mind me asking?"

Laena shook her head. "Not at all. In reading about the Dance of the Dragons. I find the Targaryen's so incredibly interesting. I hear that there are two remaining Targaryens in Essos," she chatted while Nell pulled the laces of her dress, loosening it enough so the material fell from her body and into a pile on the floor. She smiled coyly at the thought of Robb only feet away from her in such a state of undress, remembering the way his body reacted to her while she was fully clothes as she sat astride his lap.

"Aye, but they were all mad. It's a shame, too, because if the pictures tell truths they were all heartbreakingly beautiful," Nell replied, pulling Laena's hair from its intricate braids so it tumbled down her back.

Laena stepped into the steaming water, wincing as the heat turned her milky skin a frustrating pink. Nell wetted a cloth, ready to assist Laena, but she waved her off. "I can bathe and dress myself tonight." Nell nodded and stood up, carrying the buckets that had previously held the water with her. Laena closed her eyes and relaxed into the water. "Thank you, Nell," Laena said as the woman left the room. The moment the door clicked shut she opened one eye and said, "You can come out now. She's gone."

Robb crawled out from under the bed and brushed himself off before looking at her appreciatively. Laena drew her knees up to her chest, trying to preserve what small part of her modesty that remained. Robb raised his gaze, meeting her eyes. "I should sneak out while I can. I'll see you at dinner." He was halfway out the door when he turned around and asked, "Are we meeting in the Godswood tonight?"

Laena shook her head. "I don't think that would be a very good idea after last time," she said, recalling how Theon had found them sitting underneath a large weirwood, Laena straddling Robb as his hands grabbed at her ass hastily, trying to pull her even closer.

Robb laughed. "You pick the place and I'll be there," he replied before parting. He shut the door behind him softly and left Laena to bathe in peace. Laena took her time washing herself, taking extra care to make sure she was completely free of any dirt on her skin. She dried quickly when she stepped out of the water and pulled on a loose purple gown, one that was low cut but yet appropriate. She twisted her hair until water fell from it and into the tub. She left it hanging in damp waves as she left her room and joined everyone for dinner. All throughout dinner, Robb and she exchanged looks, smiling and blushing and laughing. Theon had the misfortune of sitting between the two, making dry comments unsuitable for the young ears around them. Robb hit his shoulder playfully a few times and Laena stomped down on his foot, smiling happily as she did so and laughing at something that Jon said. Jon watched them wearily, knowing something was going on between the two for quite some time after Laena admitted it to him shortly after Laena and Robb's secret dalliances began. Sansa and Arya were undeniably oblivious, as were the younger boys, but the way Eddard looked at them made her think that he knew. Catelyn, however, was left entirely in the dark. Laena was afraid of what the older woman would say if she knew what was happening between her ward and her eldest son.

Laena left the table early that night, whispering in Robb's ear before she exited the castle and crossed the courtyard to the Glass Garden. She walked through them before coming to a stop in the back corner. She sat at her usual spot, a bench that was completely hidden behind a hedge. One wouldn't find that exact bench unless they knew where to look, and only a few people knew it existed. She sat patiently waiting as the sky grew darker, waiting for Robb. She waited for nearly an hour before getting upset and leaving. She walked through the courtyard, intending to go straight back to her room until she found Jon heading for the Godswood. She called out for him to wait and ran after him.

"Aren't you supposed to be meeting Robb?" he asked as they strolled into the forest side by side.

Laena huffed angrily. "I was supposed to be, but he decided to let me sit in the garden for an hour so I left." She noticed Jon's disgruntled expression and grew concerned. "Jon, what's wrong?"

"I asked him about my mother again," he finally admitted after brooding silently for a long moment. "I don't understand why he won't tell me about her. Don't I deserve to at least know if she's alive? If she knows where I am? If she even cares about me?"

"Jon," Laena breathed, sad for the man beside her. "He has his reasons. You need to trust him." Laena ran a comforting hand across his back. "He'll tell you in time, I'm sure of it."

"I just want to know who she is. I can sit and listen to the gossip and believe for one moment that she was highborn lady and the next just a lowborn tavern wench, but at the end of the day I want facts. And only Father knows who she is," he said, clearly frustrated. He hung his head and kneeled before Heart Tree. Laena pursed her lips, refraining from saying anything to would further upset him and turned to leave, knowing that he wanted to be alone with his Gods.

The next morning, Laena dressed in breeches and a tunic rather than a dress. She was still mad about the previous night and wanted nothing more than to go to the yard and spar, even if it were hand to hand combat, something she'd taken a swift liking to when Ser Rodrik suggested she learn how to defend herself without a blade. But when she arrived in the yard, Jon and Robb were already there, assisting Bran in his archery lesson. The poor boy wasn't good at it, and he seemed unlike troops improve with his brothers constantly in his ear giving him advice. "You're making him nervous," she told the older boys as she approached. Theon was nowhere to be found, and Laena was thankful for that much at least. She glared at Robb as she passed and walked up to Bran. She leaned down and told him, "Don't listen to them. Just follow your instincts. That's what Patrek told me when I was younger."

Bran nodded at her, smiling, and nocked another arrow. She retreated to the side, leaving against the post by Rickon. She refused to acknowledge Robb, no matter how many times he mouthed her name and stared at her. Instead, she watched as Bran pulled the bowstring back and let another arrow fly, this one going far above the wall and into the trees. Jon laughed, as did Rickon, but Robb turned to face her, whispering, "What's wrong with you?"

Laena ignored him again, smirking when Eddard asked from above, "And which one of you was a marksman at ten." The laughter stopped as their father added, "Keep practicing, Bran. Go on."

Bran readied another arrow as Robb and Jon chided in his ear once again. Laena rolled her eyes. "Just focus on the target, Bran. Don't even think about the arrow." He pulled the string back and lined up, ready to release the arrow when another went whirring past his head and straight into the center of the target. Laena laughed as the boys turned around in surprise, jaws dropping when they saw Arya standing behind them, bow in hand. Bran grew red in the face when the older boys started to laugh – Rickon was in a fit of laughter beside her, though Bran didn't care what he thought – and he jumped the fence and chased after his sister, running hard to try to catch lithe, little Arya.

With everyone's attention drawn away from them, Robb turned to Laena and grabbed her elbow. He led her to an unoccupied corner of the yard. His eyes searched her face for any answers before asking, "Why are you ignoring me?"

Laena raised her brows in disbelief. "You really have the nerve to ask me that after last night?"

His face contorted into a confused expression. "Last night? We didn't do anything last night."

"Exactly. I waited for you in the garden, but you never showed up," she complained, brows furrowed and eyes sad. "You could've at least told me that you weren't going to show up before I went to sit on that stupid bench for an hour."

His eyes widened as he recalled the previous night, gripping her shoulders tightly as he apologized. "I should've told you or at least sent someone to find you. Theon took me into town last night after dinner."

Laena narrowed her eyes. Theon only went into Winter Town for one thing. "Robb, why were you in town? And tell me the truth."

He lowered his eyes, shame clearly etched onto his features and his shoulders sagging. "Theon took me to Ros."

Laena sighed and shook her head. "Unbelievable. I waited for you in the dark while you were fucking a whore." She bit her lip out of frustration. "Where's Theon? I'm going to kill that stupid Ironborn." She started to stalk off in search of the ward, but Robb grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back. "Let go of me right now, Robb," she hissed.

"Don't be mad at me," he begged. "I didn't know where he was taking me until we got there and she–"

"I really don't want to hear about how you fucked another woman," she retorted, averting her gaze. "Just please let me go so I can choke the life out of Theon." Robb laughed but still didn't let go of her. He leaned in to kiss her, slanting his lips over hers. She kissed him back for a moment before biting down hard on his lower lip. "Ow! Why are you such a feisty little shit all of the time?" He wiped the blood from his lip before looking up at her, annoyed.

"We're even now. Or, we will be after you let go of me so I can brutally murder Theon." She raised both brows and stared at him expectantly. Finally, he sighed and released his hold on her. She walked hastily through the yard, avoiding Arya and Bran as he continued to chase her, searching for Theon. She found him eventually, but he was saddling a horse beside Robb and Jon as Eddard approached with Bran at his side.

"Where are you going?" she asked Jon curiously.

He looked up with solemn eyes. "A deserter of the Night's Watch was found. We're riding out for his execution." Laena nodded hesitantly. She glared at Theon when he met her gaze, but she said nothing more before leaving them be to prepare for the ride.

She climbed the stairs of the castle, wanting to read more of her book before they returned. She was nearly to her room when Sansa stopped her, smiling excitedly as if she were about to burst. She barely gave Laena any time to greet her before launching into an elaborate story about how she was walking passed her father's solar and just happened to hear – not eavesdropping, she assured – her mother and father discussing a marriage between the Starks and the Mallisters. "I'm going to be the Lady of Seagard! Can you believe it? We'll actually be sisters then!" Sansa concluded excitedly, assuming that the marriage that her parents were talking about was one between her and Laena's brother, Patrek. "Isn't that wonderful news? Of course we won't be getting married until after I've flowered, but mother says it should be soon now."

Laena could hardly believe what she was hearing. Despite Sansa's beliefs that it was her and Patrek that her parents had been talking about, Laena had reason to doubt that. She knew that Robb had been suggesting marriage between him and Laena to his father for some time now, but after months of nothing she believed it to be futile efforts on Robb's part. "That's– That's wonderful, Sansa. You should go tell Jeyne about it. I'm sure she'd be just as excited to hear the good news." Sansa nodded fervently and skipped down the hall. Laena ambled into her room. She would need to tell Robb the news as soon as he returned, but she needed to take her mind off of it until then. She sat in a chair beside the window and opened her book to the page she marked last night. She read her book, but also kept glancing out her window to see if the boys had returned yet. When they finally did return, she set the book down and rushed swiftly through the halls and out of the door into the courtyard. She halted immediately when she saw the little animals that the boys held onto.

"What in the seven hells are those?" she asked Robb as she walked closer, incredibly apprehensive of the animal. It looked like a dog, but she could tell it wasn't a normal dog.

Robb smiled and held the pup out to her. "It's a direwolf," he answered, placing it in her arms. It reached up and licked her face, making her laugh. "He has good taste in women."

"If I ask you to meet me in the Broken Tower will you actually show up or go into town for a visit to the local brothel?" she asked, voice sounding more venomous than she had intended. "I have some very important news to share with you and would rather not do it here."

He looked at her skeptically but nodded nonetheless. "Give me some time to get the horses unsaddled and get the little ones their pups. I'll be right up after that. I promise."

"No brothels?" Laena inquired, cocking her head to the side.

"No brothels," he assured. He and Laena parted ways, he moving towards the stables and she towards the Broken Tower. She and Robb had only met there once, but the lack of light in the dark made it hard for them to remain there for long. That, and it was unapologetically cold up there. She had her cloak fastened around her shoulders and her leggings were made of wool. She climbed the stairs two at a time and sat against the crumbling wall while she waited. When the door finally opened and Robb appeared in front of her she stood and crashing into his arms, made him stumble back at the force.

"I like this Laena much better compared to the one from earlier today," he joked, laughing as she pushed him against the wall, mouth nipping at his throat. "So what was so important that you needed to tell me up here?"

She leaned back, looked up at him, and smiled. "Sansa overheard your parents talking early this morning," she whispered excitedly, hands pulling at the laces of his doublet until it she had it completely open and pushed it off of his shoulders, down his arms, until it fell to the floor. She made a path of kisses down his throat before she tugged at his undershirt.

Robb looked down at her with dark eyes. "Were they talking about anything specific?" he asked as he removed her cloak and toyed with the laces of her own black doublet.

She kissed his jaw as her hands moved on top of his, guiding them to pull at the laces until she was devoid of it as well. "They were talking about our marriage," she murmured against his skin. His hands stopped moving and he stood frozen. Laena looked up at him and clarified, "Sansa thought that they were talking about her and Patrek, but both of us had suggested more than once to our fathers that we should be wed to join our house and–"

His lips found her, interrupting any more words she had to share. She eagerly kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck, playing with the curls that hung lower than the rest. His hands slide down her side, reaching around to grab at her and lift her up. She subconsciously wrapped her legs around his waist as he lowered her onto her discarded cloak. "Laena," he groaned when she began to pull at his trousers. "Laena," he said more firmly, grabbing her hands and moving them away. "We can't. At least, not until we're wed."

She stared at him blankly, blinking rapidly. Then she laughed. "There are things we can do without actually...you know. At least, when Theon's teasing me he mentions these _things_. He thinks we do them all the time. I'm willing to try them if it'll keep you away from the brothels," she explained, hands returning to his trousers, knuckles brushing over his ever present bulge. "I'm willing if you are," she whispered softly.

Robb looked out the window, thinking it over. His answer came in the form of him pulling his tunic over his head before pulling at hers. She sat up enough to allow him to pull it over her head. She shivered when the cold air met her bare skin. Or perhaps she shivered under Robb's gaze. She crossed her arms over her chest, covering herself. "Don't," he whispered, pulling her arms away from her body and laying them at her sides. He stared down at her, trailing a hand from her throat, over her exposed breasts, and past her navel. His hands curled gripped her trousers when he looked back up, eyes full of concern. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

She nodded. "Positive," she assured, sitting up to kiss him again. He removed her trousers then, pulling them teasingly slow down her legs, knuckles brushing her skin as it became newly exposed. He sat back on his heels, eyes tracing every inch of her body with his eyes. She could practically feel them leaving fire on her skin wherever they went. "Like what you see?" she teased as she pulled his trousers over his thighs.

In truth, she was frightened when both finally sat completely naked at the top of that tower. She could tease and laugh all she liked, but Robb saw right through her act. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to. I'm not going to make you do anything that you're not ready for. We'll be wed soon, and then we'll have every night for the rest of our lives to do this," he reasoned, lifting her chin with his fingers so he could look at her.

Laena took a deep breath and lifted her wide eyes to meet his. "I want to do this, Robb. But if we keep talking I'm going to get scared and– Kiss me, Robb." He complied, slanting his lips over her gently, kissing her more softly than she could ever remember him doing. His lips were barely ghosting over hers as his hand snaked down her body and between her legs. She gasped loudly when a finger entered her, opening her mouth to his tongue. She moaned as he pressed his thumb to her center and added a second finger. In the midst of their kisses, Laena slid her hand down his chest to grip him in her hand.

"No," he breathed out. "Let me make up for last night." His fingers curled inside of her, making her nearly cry out. If it weren't for Robb's lips over hers the whole courtyard below would have heard her. After some time she began to feel lightheaded and her stomach turned to blazing fire. Robb swallowed her cry of please this time, muffling them so she barely made a sound.

Laena lay on her back, chest heaving up and down as Robb trailed kisses down her throat, across her collarbone, over her breasts, even lower across her stomach, and finally at her center. Her eyes grew wide. "Where'd you learn that?" she stammered as her breathing grew heavy again.

He removed his lips from her core and looked up at her. "Theon talks a lot," he answered huskily with a shrug. He lowered himself between her spread legs again, softly kissing her things. Her head fell back, her eyes fluttered shut, and her hips bucked upwards as she grew impatient. She heard Robb chuckle throatily before his lips descended upon her center once more, tongue flicking out and trailing over her. She gasped loudly, trying to keep her sounds contained within her mouth. Not only did she think they were embarrassing, but she was worried that people below would hear her and come looking for the owner of those sounds. Her legs started to quiver as the same feeling as before crept into her. She reached over, found her undershirt, and bit down on it just as she felt the fire in her abdomen being released again.

"Are you okay?" Robb asked, crawling over the length of her body. Her was smiling, his chin wet and shiny with her pleasure.

Laena smiled lazily up at him. "I'm wonderful." Robb rolled onto his back beside her and they just lay there for what seemed like forever until Laena sat up. She smiled at Robb as she twisted around and straddled his leg. "Let me make you feel wonderful," she whispered as her hand trailed over his chest, nails biting into the skin and leaving marks as they went lower and lower. She looked up at Robb hesitantly before gripping his hardened length in her hand again. This time, he made no move to stop her. Instead, he used his hand to guide hers up and down, showing her what to do. He sat up and pulled her close, her hand moving between them as he pressed sloppy, wet kiss to her neck and shoulders. He bit down on her collarbone, making her cry out until his tongue slid over the spot, soothing it. His hand worked its way between her legs again when she started to move atop his leg, needing the friction. When Robb's moment came, his head fell against Laena's chest, and Laena cried out for him shortly after.

Robb rolled to his side and stood once Laena was on her back on the cloak again. He looked at her with dark, hooded eyes as he used his undershirt to wipe at her thighs and the other various places of their bodies that held evidence of their dalliance. "You should leave before me," he suggested as he pulled his trousers on.

Laena stared at his half naked body and bit her lip. "Maybe we should stay here just a little bit longer," she countered, reaching up for him.

He laughed and threw her leggings at her. "I can only imagine how wonton you'll be after we've wed. You'll never let me leave the bed, will you?"

She smirked. "Not if I can help it," she admitted, pulling her undershirt over her head. She laughed when he pulled her close and pressed a wet kiss to her cheek. "Ew, stop it!" she giggled, pushing playfully against his chest. She craned her neck and kissed him, slightly tasting herself on his lips. Robb scratched his head, looking at her while she laced her doublet. "What?"

He smiled sheepishly. "You, uh, might want to wear dresses with high necklines for a while." His fingers traced the small purple mark that he had left on her collarbone. "Sorry," he offered, though his smile told Laena that he felt no remorse whatsoever.

"Whatever," she laughed, grabbing her cloak from the ground before observing it. "I think we've ruined it." She kissed Robb goodbye and then she was skipping down the steps, cloak curled over her arms as she went.

She crossed the courtyard to the yard where Jon stood with a white pup in his arms. "You Starks sure have a strange idea of a pet," she joked as she sauntered over to him.

"I'm not a Stark," he countered, just as Laena had expected. "And if I recall correctly, your family keeps an eagle as a pet. How are direwolves strange compared to that?"

She shrugged, ruffling the white fur. "Patrek had a bird," she clarified. "I had kittens. That's a normal pet." She rolled up her sleeves and showed him the scars along her hands and wrists. "That fucking bird did this to me when I was six. I'm in favor of direwolves compared to a stupid bird with no brains." She fixed her sleeves and scratched the pup's ear. "What's his name?"

"Ghost," Jon replied proudly.

Laena raised a brow and laughed. "A very fitting name for this little pup."

Theon joined them then, throwing his arm over her shoulder. "Where did you and our little lord in training sneak off to after we got back?" he asked, eyeing her knowingly. His hand pulled at her doublet, moving it to the side. He eyed her new mark snugly. "Seems you two have been getting more and more bold lately."

She slapped his hand away. "Speaking of bold, why in seven hells did you take him to a fucking brothel?" Laena asked incredulously.

She stepped towards him, anger flaring in her eyes. He stepped back cautiously, hands held out in defense. "Ros was his nameday gift. He's seventeen. He should've been with a woman ages ago." That response earned him a slap upside the head, but not from Laena. Robb stood behind, frowning.

He opened his mouth to say something when Bran came running towards them, face alive with excitement. "Did you hear?" he asked happily. Laena looked to Robb questioningly, but he only shrugged. "The King is coming here, to Winterfell!"


	4. Chapter 4

Winterfell was buzzing with activity in the days leading up to the King's arrival. Servants were readying the Great Hall, hunters were in the forest for hours gathering enough meat for the large party that the King was bringing, and Catelyn was running about frantically, ordering people left and right, wanting everything to be perfect. Laena could care less if the King was coming. She was content to just lay in Robb's arms and waste away an entire day.

During the last five weeks, Laena spent more time behind locked doors with Robb than she had in the last six months. They continued to pleasure each other while leaving Laena's status as a maiden intact. She grew bolder and bolder during those weeks, touching Robb without any hesitation and even listening to a few of Theon's suggestions, no matter how bawdy they seemed. The evening of her sixteenth nameday was spent in the Glass Garden, Robb using his body to hold her firmly against a pillar as she writhed over his hand. She eventually made sneaking to his room after dusk a nightly habit and sneaking back to her room just before dawn a morning ritual. They thought that they were being smart, sneaking around like that, but Eddard quickly dispelled those thoughts when Robb told her that he had been lectured about not doing anything that would besmirch her honor. After that day, Laena found it hard to look Eddard in the eye without blushing furiously.

The morning of the King's arrival, Laena awoke in her own room for the first time in weeks. With Nell's help, she dressed in a new gown of fine silver cloth and turned her tangled mass of hair into an intricate braid that hung over her shoulder. "I'm sure the Queen will just adore you," Nell assured her as they walked through the castle halls towards the Great Hall where Catelyn was waiting for her. Laena smiled in response, though truthfully, she didn't care if the Queen liked her or not. Her father had told her stories about Cersei Lannister, and none of them made her think very highly of their Queen. "And I've heard that Princess Myrcella is as lovely as her mother was when she was her age. I've always wondered if their hair really is the color of gold. Everyone says so, but I won't believe it until I see it for myself," Nell blabbered on, clearly excited for the arrival of the royal party. "One of the women from the kitchens told me that Margaery Tyrell is accompanying them. She's set to wed Prince Joffrey in a few months, you know. It's been a long while since there was a royal wedding. I was only nine when King Robert wed Queen Cersei."

The entered the Great Hall, and Nell left Laena's side to assist another girl with the preparation of some meat. Laena approached Catelyn as the older woman wove her way through the commotion, Maester Luwin following closely behind. Catelyn said something to Luwin that Laena couldn't hear over the chains lifting the chandelier up to the ceiling. Catelyn smiled when she saw Laena. "There you are, my dear. You look lovely. You'll have to tell Nell that I admire her handiwork," she mused, running her hand delicately over the braid. Catelyn smiled softly, placing a gentle hand on Laena's cheek as she sigh. "You're looking more and more like a Northern girl each passing day. Your mother would be proud of you."

"Are you proud of me?" Laena asked her, the woman who had been her mother for half of her life. Her brows were drawn together as she stared calculatingly at the older woman. She only ever tried to please Catelyn over the past eight years, though she knew that Robb's mother would scoff and look down at her if she was aware of the activities that she and her son partook in nightly.

"I am very proud of you, Laena," Catelyn proclaimed, smiling widely. "You should go find Arya and make sure she doesn't get herself dirty. Sansa, I'm not worried about."

Laena returned the smile and nodded. "I'll do my best, but you know how she can be," replied Laena.

Catelyn laughed, shaking her head. "I know all too well how that girl works. Just do your best, that's all I ask." She turned around and began to direct some of the servants as they carried more tables and platters of meat through the room. Laena nearly was toppled by three men carrying a large tray of venison through the room, just narrowly avoiding the tray by ducking under it as she moved across the room. "Be careful with that!" she heard Catelyn shout as she exited the room.

In the courtyard even more people were moving about, making sure everything was in place for the King's arrival. Though Eddard was old friends with the King, Catelyn still insisted on making everything look absolutely perfect. It was more likely than not that she didn't care what the King thought of Winterfell. It was the Queen that her foster mother wanted to impress so badly. "Arya!" Laena called, hoping that the girl would be somewhere relatively easy to find. Laena had no desire to crawl through the animal pens in search of the wild eleven year old. She had done that a few days ago and ruined a dress beyond repair. "Arya!" she called again. She heard laughter from her right and swiftly turned towards the sound. She spotted Arya, sitting on top of a barrel, laughing at her. "Arya, come here. Your mother's put me in charge of you until the King arrives."

Arya laughed and hopped down from the barrel, just barely avoiding snagging her dress on a loose nail. "You'll have to catch me first!" she yelled across the courtyard in response before running in the opposite direction.

"You've got to be joking," Laena grumbled. She picked up her skirts and gave chase, running after the younger girl. She wove in and out of the crowd, avoiding people and animals alike. She could hardly see Arya in the crowd of people, but she could see Nymeria chasing after her master. Laena stayed hot on the dogs trail, smiling as it turned into one of the buildings, slipping behind the sheet that acted as a door. "I've caught you. It's time to‒" She trailed off once she realized it wasn't Arya who stood before her, but instead Jon, Robb, and Theon. "Well," she began with a smile, "isn't this a welcome sight."

Theon looked her up and down with a coquettish grin. "Same to you," he replied.

She laughed and rolled her eyes, sidling up to Robb. She ran a hand over his freshly shaven jaw. "I'm going to miss the scruff," she admitted sadly. "You looked much manlier with it."

"Mother wants us to look pretty for the Queen," he grunted in response, frowning.

Laena stood on her toes and pressed a light kiss to his jaw, ignoring the looks from Jon, Theon, and Tommy as he sheared Jon's hair. "I thought I was the pretty one?" she teased, grinning widely at him. Her comment made Theon and Jon laugh, while Robb looked at her with an annoyed expression. "What has you all grumpy today?"

Robb huffed. "I'm not grumpy."

"It's probably because you weren't in his bed last night," Theon offered, grinning wolfishly at them. Laena glared at him while Robb muttered, "Fuck off, Theon," but he only shrugged in response. "Even the bastard agrees."

"I never said that," Jon defended himself as dark locks of hair flitted to ground around him. Laena narrowed her eyes at him, and he grew flustered under her gaze. "I'm being honest, Laena. You know how Theon likes to get under your skin."

"I'd like to get under _her_ ," the older boy mumbled just loud enough for her to hear. She slapped his shoulder aggressively. "Fucking hell, Laena! I was joking." When she shrunk back into Robb's side, he added, "A little bit, anyway."

"I'm going to go before I murder him," she announced, backing away from the boys. "You didn't happen to see Arya run past, did you?"

"Mother put you in charge of her again?" Laena nodded, looking at Robb with impassive eyes. "I'll help you find her," he said, pulling his undershirt over his head and reaching for his discarded doublet.

"Don't worry about it. You just finish getting pretty," she teased, making the other boys bark with laughter as she left the building. She marched through the courtyard, looking every which way for the young girl. She searched behind barrels, in the animal pens, by the armory, and around the yard, but Arya was nowhere to be found. Sighing, she resigned herself to failure. Soon, the King's arrival was announced and she was standing between Jon and Theon behind the Starks as men on horses galloped toward the courtyard and a large wheelhouse followed – no doubt containing the Queen and her younger children – all flying the navy and gold banners of the House Baratheon. As they neared, Catelyn looked down the line at her children.

She turned to Laena, a disappointed look on her face. "Where's Arya? I thought I told you to keep an eye on her."

Laena shrugged, looking remorseful. "She ran away from me again."

She heard Catelyn sigh and watched the older woman's mouth fall into a frown as she turned around. Laena pursed her lips, aware that Catelyn was upset with her. Suddenly, Arya was running in front of the family in front of her, wearing a plain steel helm. As Eddard scolded her and took the helm from her head, Catelyn turned around and looked at her with a raised brow. Jon laughed beside her – though she wasn't sure if it was because of her or Arya – until she elbowed him in the ribs and nodded towards the approaching horses. She held her chin high as they trotted into the courtyard. Prince Joffrey – she recognized him immediately by his golden hair and smug face – trotted in before any of the other members of the royal family, and the way he leered at Sansa almost made Laena sick. More men entered the courtyard on horseback behind the wheelhouse, one of the riders being King Robert himself. Laena frowned, dropping to one knee in a similar fashion as the rest of the people in the courtyard, when she realized he looked nothing like the pictures in the history texts. The man in the books was well muscled with a chiseled jaw, standing taller than anyone else, his blue eyes shining and dark hair flowing. The man in front of her was fat and greying, and his chiseled jaw was now a roll of fat hanging from his chin. Laena had to muffle her snort of laughter when he struggled to get off of his horse.

She looked up from under her lashes at the man as he stood in front of Eddard, bidding him to stand. Once he stood, everyone else followed suit. Laena watched anxiously, holding her breath, as the King looked over Eddard with a calculating gaze, not saying a word. She was surprised, to say the least, when the first words from the King's mouth were, "You got fat." Laena's jaw dropped, unsure of what to think about the situation that was unfolding in front of her own eyes. Then both men started to laugh as they embraced like the old friends that they were. He greeted Catelyn, exchanged a few more words with Eddard, and moved down the line, addressing each of the Stark children. Arya was making comments to Sansa the entire time, and Laena could tell, even as she stood behind them, that Sansa was thoroughly annoyed with her younger sister.

And then the Queen approached. Cersei Lannister, once said to be the most beautiful woman in Westeros, did not smile, nor did she even greet Eddard. She simply walked up to Laena's foster father and held her hand out for him to kiss as he addressed her. Catelyn curtsied and addressed her the same without any hesitation.

"Take me to your crypt. I want to pay my respects," the King said to Eddard.

Laena saw the Queen frown. "We've been riding for a month, my love. Surely the dead can wait."

The King ignored his wife, called for Eddard, and turned to walk in the direction of the crypt. He walked with such sureness that Laena wondered if he had been down to the crypts of Winterfell before. Eddard followed, leaving the rest of the family standing awkwardly in the courtyard as the Queen eyed them all wearily.

Arya broke the silence, asking Sansa, "Where's the Imp?" Laena laughed, earning a glare from the Queen before she turned away.

"Laena, take the girls inside," Catelyn instructed her. "And this time don't lose Arya." Laena nodded and took Arya's hand, gripping it tightly enough that she couldn't slip through her fingers and run off again. "Escort Princess Myrcella, as well." Laena watched as a girl hardly older than Arya approached, her golden curls careening over her small shoulders. The girl was clearly her mother's daughter.

"Are you one of the servants?" she asked when she joined Laena and the Stark girls. She looked curiously at Laena's dress and added, "You at least dress better than most servants."

"I am _not_ a servant," she retorted, offended. She looked over her shoulder and glared at Theon when she heard him laughing. "I am a ward of Lord Eddard and Lady Catelyn. I'm the Lady of Seagard!"

"You don't look like a lady," Myrcella replied haughtily. "Mother says ladies don't wear their hair the way that you are. Only servants and handmaids wear it like that."

Laena took a deep breath and pulled her lips into a tight line as she bit her tongue. She could tell that the Queen already disliked her. She didn't want to insult the Princess and make her mother hate her even more. "Where I come from, ladies wear their hair like this all the time," she informed the little princess.

"Mother would never let me wear my hair like that," she replied absentmindedly. Laena looked over her shoulder again and mouthed, 'Help me!' to Robb as he, Jon, and Theon followed closely behind. He shrugged and smiled amusedly, clearly enjoying himself. "She says that I'm a princess, so I need to look like a princess." She glanced at Laena with a penetrating gaze. "You don't look like a princess."

Laena huffed exasperatedly and said, "Sansa, you can show Princess Myrcella to her room. Arya and I are going to see if her mother needs help with anything else." She pulled Arya down a branching hallway, rushing out of sight.

"We're not really going to help Mother, are we?" Arya whined when they turned another corner and stopped walking.

"No. I just needed to get away from Princess Myrcella. That girl and your sister would get along wonderfully, wouldn't they," she teased, making Arya snort with laughter. "That girl is an absolute terror."

"I'd say it's the Queen's fault," Arya added.

"You know, I'm sure the Queen could have your tongue removed for saying things like that." Laena turned around to see Robb leaning against the wall, arms crossed, and smirking at her. "And that would be a shame because I quite like–"

Laena's eyes grew wide as she covered Arya's ears. "Your little sister is right here, Robb," she hissed.

Arya swatted at Laena's hands. "It's not like I don't know about you two. You're not exactly secretive." Arya looked at Laena in disbelief. "You seriously thought that no one knew? Everyone knows." She smirked at Robb. "Even Mother. She was furious when she found out. Why do you think she's been making Laena keep an eye on me? It's so she can't sneak off with you all the time." Robb and Laena stood dumbfounded by Arya's revelation. "You're both stupid," she said in parting, turning and walking in the opposite direction.

"She's truly a nightmare sometimes," Robb noted. He looked at Laena with a wry expression and laughed. "How long do you think she's known?"

Laena smiled shyly in response. "Months probably. She's right. We weren't exactly secretive. Theon told us so many times, but we didn't believe him."

He stepped closer to her, trapping her between his arms as he leaned against the stone wall behind her. He leaned in, pressing his lips below her ear. "If she's telling the truth, and everyone does know, then it wouldn't hurt to be a few minutes late to the feast, would it?" He dragged his lips across her jaw and along her throat, tugging down the collar of her dress to nip at the smooth skin below her collarbone.

Her eyes fluttered shut, enjoying the moment, but she pushed him away. "We can't do this now. Not while the King is visiting. Hopefully after they leave your father will officially announce our engagement, and soon after we can be wed. Then you'll have me all to yourself, every single piece of me." She fixed the collar of her dress and retreated to her room to pass the time until the feast, trying to slow down her quickly beating heart as she went.

She spent the afternoon reading in her room, nearly finishing the history of the Blackfyre Rebellions. She would have finished if Robb hadn't knocked on her door just as she was pages away from the end. She looked up from her page to see Robb, looking down at his feet as he pressed the door shut. Laena marked her page, closed the book, and stood. "Robb, are you okay?" she asked worriedly, approaching him cautiously after observing how stiffly he stood. "Robb? Talk to me."

He slowly lifted his head, azure eyes full of remorse as he gazed at her. "Laena," he began, sighing heavily."

"Robb, what is it? What's wrong?" she questioned, caressing his cheek softly.

"Laena, I'm engaged," he breathed.

Laena blinked, confused. "What do you mean? We've known for months now."

"Not–" he cut himself off, taking a deep breath. "I'm not engaged to you, Laena." She took a step back, pulling her hand away from his face as if his skin was on fire. "My father, he– The King apparently made him an offer that he couldn't refuse." He stared at her with sad eyes as Laena's lower lip began to tremble. She shut her eyes tightly to stop the tears that threatened to spill down her face. "I'm so sorry, Laena. I wish I could fix this but–"

"You should go," she said firmly, surprising herself at how steady her voice was despite the way she was feeling. She stepped back as Robb reached out to her. It was hard enough with him so close to her. She didn't want to even think about how terrible she would feel if he were to touch her, try to comfort her. "We shouldn't be seen alone together anymore. It wouldn't be fair to your betrothed." She turned and faced the window, not wanting Robb to see her tears. She bit down on her nails, a habit that she thought she had lost years ago, as Robb stood silently behind her. Finally, after a long silence, he left. When the door was firmly shut and she knew she was alone, Laena sunk down into her bed, crying until her eyes had no more tears to shed. She knew her face would be raw and red, but she didn't care.

Theon eventually came to escort her to dinner, and thankfully he didn't comment on her disheveled appearance. He must have known already, Laena deduced. The two wards followed Arya, Bran, and Rickon into the Great Hall, taking their seats at the table below the raised dais where the King and Queen sat with Catelyn and Eddard. When Robb walked in escorting Princess Myrcella, Laena averted her eyes. She caught the Queen's eye and noticed the smug look of satisfaction that graced her regal face.

"Are you okay, Laena?" Arya asked halfway through the meal when Laena had a servant refill her goblet for the third time. The older girl took a drink, long and slow, glancing at Arya over the brim of the goblet. She shrugged as she put it down on the table and wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her dress. "At least you're prettier than her," the small girl said with a smile, unabashedly trying to cheer Laena up. The way that everyone at the table looked at her wearily, as if she would do something rash at any given moment, confirmed what Laena had already expected: they all knew. Everyone knew, and their eyes all taunted her.

King Robert stood, pushing the serving woman out of his lap, goblet held high in the air. "A toast, to the joining of our families." The Queen stood and smiled in her direction. She too raised her goblet. "To Robb and Myrcella." Cheers and laughter erupted in the room, people smiling and drinking, toasting to a long marriage for the young couple. Myrcella blushed while Robb stared at Laena.

"Excuse me," she muttered to no one in particular. She stood and stalked away from the table. She found her way out to the courtyard, passing Benjen Stark and Tyrion Lannister as she wandered aimlessly. She murmured a quick greeting to Benjen but ignored the Lannister dwarf.

She smiled for the first time that night when she found Jon slashing furiously at the training dummy. "Who are you picturing right now? Perhaps your stepmother?" she asked, recalling how Catelyn refused to let him dine in the Great Hall with everyone else. Instead, Jon was forced to eat in his chambers alone, only having Ghost for company.

He lowered his sword and turned to her, a quizzical look on his face. "And who would you be picturing right now? The Queen? Princess Myrcella? Maybe even Robb?"

She knew he was teasing, but she did not smile. "It's not fair," she whispered, tears coming to her eyes. She leaned against Jon, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "Robb and I were supposed to get married. We were supposed to get married and have children and be happy and–" she sobbed, allowing herself to break down in her friend's arms. "And according to Sansa, I'm supposed to go to King's Landing with your father and sisters. It makes sense, to have me leave. I wish I could just go home. I want to see Father and Patrek. I want to smell the salty air again. I just want to go home, Jon." She cried into his shoulder as he rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"You are home, Laena," he whispered into her hair, pressing a kiss against her forehead. "Winterfell has been your home for half your life."

Eyes trained on the ground in front of her, she shook her head. "Winterfell is the Starks' home. You, me, and Theon– we're just here temporarily." She looked up at Jon with a sad smile, sniffling and wiping away her tears. "I wish it was you, Jon. I wish that I had loved you instead of Robb. I wouldn't have spent a majority of tonight crying."

"But you can't love a bastard. You're a highborn lady, and highborn ladies marry highborn lords," he argued, gripping her shoulders and pulling away to look her in the eyes. "I do love you, Laena. You're more of a sister to me than Sansa has ever been. You're kind and compassionate, intelligent and brave."

Laena smiled up at him. "Come to Seagard with me. We can leave together. I doubt they'd even notice we've left."

Jon frowned and added, "But you're also impatient and impulsive."

Laena hung her head, acknowledging the heavy truth that his words held. "I just want to stop hurting," she admitted in a voice so quiet that Jon barely heard her. "Robb and I had been so caught up in ourselves and we had thought– Sansa overheard your father mentioning an engagement between our houses. I just don't understand what happened."

He pulled her into another tight embrace. "I know, but everything will be okay, Laena. You've got to trust that."

"How?" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "How will everything be _okay_? Robb and I– The things we did– And everyone knows, Jon. They all know, and the gossiping and the looks will only get worse in the South."

"But you're strong. Laena, you're the strongest women I've ever met." _You haven't met a lot of women_ , she wanted to tell him. "If you can hold your own against me in the yard, you can handle a few women at court," he reasoned.

"But it's different. I can handle sharp swords, but I'm not as practiced when it comes to sharp tongues," she argued. "I'm going to write to Father. I don't want to go to King's Landing."

He frowned, the light of the torches playing on his features and making him look eerie in the shadows. "If you won't go for yourself, go for the girls that have been your sisters for eight years. Sansa will do fine in the capitol, but Arya is going to need you. She'll get into more trouble than you can even imagine without you there to reign her in."

Laena laughed, imagining the situations Arya would find herself in. "I suppose you're right. I don't like it, but I'll go for Arya." She frowned deeply, remembering the way the Prince looked at Sansa earlier in the day. "And perhaps Sansa will need me more than you think."

Jon smiled, chuckling. He held the sword out to her. "You wanna have a go at it?"

She smiled widely, sniffling as she breathed out a laugh. "You sure know how to make a girl happy, Jon Snow."

She spent the remainder of the feast outside, slicing at the practice dummy with Jon watching, correcting her form, and giving her small suggestions to increase her power. It was just enough to take her mind off of Robb, Myrcella, and King's Landing for the time being, but afterwards she was a wreck. She spent most of her time in her room, barely speaking to anyone except for Catelyn when she came to tell Laena that Eddard had accepted the position of King's Hand, and she, Sansa, Arya, and Bran would be joining him in King's Landing. Robb tried to come to her room, but Laena kept her door locked and refused to let him enter. Jon came to twice, once to tell her he was leaving with his Uncle Benjen and joining the Night's Watch, and a second time to inform her a Bran's fall. She finally left her room then, ordering Nell to take her to her foster brother. After that day, Laena spent hours reading to Bran. Catelyn sat beside him too, barely acknowledging the younger woman. Laena knew that Catelyn never left his side, barely ate, and spoke to almost no one but Maester Luwin.

Laena started to settle into a regular routine following Bran's fall. Besides spending hours at his side, she returned to practicing in the yard with Jon and chasing Arya through the Godswood. Though she still avoided Robb.

More than once she had run into him escorting the Princess through the Godswood. She smiled politely at them and left, feeling Robb's burning gaze on her back. Other times she would be practicing marksmanship in the yard when Robb approached her, asking to talk. She would loose an arrow, missing severely before leaving him standing in the yard alone.

When the day of their departure finally arrived, he cornered her in the stables as she saddled her horse. "Won't the Queen look down on you for riding with the men?"

She turned to face him, hurt flashing over her features. "Already trying to impress your future goodmother?" she shot back after she returned her attention to her mare.

"Laena, you know that I–"

"I doesn't matter, Robb," she interrupted. "Your apologies don't matter anymore. It won't change that you're engaged to someone else." She faced him again, emotions a mix of hurt and anger. "Why can't you just leave me alone? Do you need to make this harder than it already is?"

Robb frowned and furrowed his brow. "I don't mean to make you feel this way. I _never_ meant for things to happen this way, you know that. If I had my way, we would have been wed months ago–" he stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on her stomach "–and we'd have a family of our own. That's the life I want."

She softly pushed his hand away from her. "But it's not the life we were given," she resigned. "Please, just go Robb. This is already hard enough." She held her breath, waiting for him to leave. Eventually he sighed and took his leave. Grey Wind remained where his master had stood only seconds ago, whimpering, a sound she had never heard him make. "I'll miss you, boy," she whispered.

"Laena, are you ready to go?" she heard Eddard call. Moments later he appeared in front of her, stepping out of Grey Wind's path as he retreated to his master's side. "Laena?"

"I have one more goodbye to make be we leave," she told him, tightening the final strap of the saddle. "I just need a moment."

"Hurry along then. The Queen is getting impatient."

Laena nodded and hurried from the stable, searching the courtyard for Jon. She paused when she noticed him talking to Robb, debating leaving without saying goodbye or swallowing her pride and joining them. She had promised Jon that she would be strong, and she wasn't going to let him down. She approached them, standing beside idly as Robb and Jon hugged, wishing each other luck on their adventures – Jon at the Wall and Robb as Lord of Winterfell and eventually as a husband – and said goodbye. Laena avoiding meeting Robb's eyes as he passed her, not missing the way his hand reached out for her before dropping it back to his side. "Finally come to say goodbye?" Jon asked, a friendly smile gracing his lips.

Laena smiled and flung herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. "I should just go take the black with you. The Watch doesn't exactly have rules against letting women to join," she said when she released her hold on him and stepped back to reach down and ruffle Ghost's fur. "What do you say, Jon. Think I would look good in black?"

He laughed, his smile reaching his eyes. "I think you'd look a little too appealing to the men of the Wall." Then he was serious. "Keep yourself safe and watch out for the girls. They'll need you, especially with my father being kept busy by the King."

"Keep yourself safe, too. We'll met again, Jon Snow," she said before mounting her horse and trotted away, leaving Winterfell and Robb behind.


	5. Chapter 5

The month they spent on the Kingsroad was long, far too long for Laena. She often rode in front of or beside the wagon that carried Sansa, Arya, and Septa Mordane, listening to Sansa talk excitedly about King's Landing or Arya complaining about not being able to ride a horse like Laena. At one point during the journey, when the old Septa wasn't paying attention, Laena pulled Arya onto her saddle and rode ahead of the wagon. When they stopped for the night Laena was scolded for her actions, but Sansa privately assured her that the Septa was secretly grateful for being away from Arya's complaints, even if only for a short while.

A few days into the journey, Laena was riding beside the wagon when a tall, golden haired boy – probably a squire, a Lannister one – halted her horse and informed her that the Queen wished to take tea with her when they stopped to dine that afternoon. Laena raised an eyebrow at this, but the boy just smiled and went on his way. She was weary of everything that afternoon: the men who guarded the wheelhouse, the Queen's handmaids that greeted her as she entered and they exited, and the Queen herself as she sat upon the many cushions looking as regal as ever.

"Your grace," Laena greeted with a bow, remembering her courtesies. "If I may ask, why did you wish to take tea with me instead of Sansa or one of the other girls?"

The Queen smiled sweetly, but the words that left her mouth were nothing but venomous. "I wanted to get a good look at the girl that was a plaything for my daughter's future husband." The Queen's eyes scanned Laena's figure and features as Laena stiffened. "The boy has... _odd_ tastes."

Laena gritted her teeth. "Is that all? You merely wished to see me for that? If that's all, I would like to go tend to my horse."

Laena turned around to leave, but the Queen called her back. "You'll sit, and you'll answer any questions I have. Do you understand?"

Laena spun back around to face her, hair swirling around her face until it settled across her shoulders. "Of course, your grace," she replied with a fake smile, sitting across from the Queen. "What is that you'd like to know?"

The Queen smiled, though it held no warmth. "You're quite the songbird, aren't you? You act sweet, just like the old Septa taught you to, but I can see right past it." She took a sip from a cup; Laena highly doubted that it was tea in that cup. "You sing your songs and charm everyone, but not me, little songbird."

Laena stood and looked down her nose at the Queen, something that Catelyn would scold her for. "I didn't come here to try to _charm_ you, your grace. I came here because you asked me to. And I'm a Mallister. I'm an eagle, not a songbird." Laena made to leave, but turned around at the last minute and curtsied. " _Your grace_."

"Of course. How could I forget?" Laena turned around and walked out as the Queen sipped from her cup, eyes narrowed.

After that day she would often catch the Queen staring at her whenever the stopped along the road or at an inn. More than once Laena could hear the words of the Queen floating through the air as she spoke to her brother, all demeaning things about the younger girl. It didn't help that the golden haired man looked after her curiously whenever he rode past. If Laena had been anyone else, perhaps the stares and unkind words would affect her, but nothing of the sort affected her anymore.

At least not until she witnessed Sansa's tears because of the orders of the Queen. After the Queen had called for the death of Lady in place of the runaway Nymeria, Sansa was a mess. Laena held her, consoled her, and stroked her hair soothingly as the girl sobbed into her shoulder, cried out her hatred for her younger sister, and sobbed some more until she had no tears left to shed. Sansa had fallen asleep by then, and Laena lay with her all night, comforting her again if her sobbing returned and her eyes leaked more tears.

Arya was affected similarly that week, though her emotional distress was the angry sort rather than depressed. The girl had lashed out, screaming at Sansa and Laena alike, refusing to speak to her father, and glaring at the royal family with more hatred than a girl of her size and age should hold. After some difficulty, Laena finally got Arya to speak to her. It was short, broken sentences that passed between the two, but they were speaking nonetheless and Laena was grateful for it. After a while, Laena began to sneak Arya away from the other members of the party – especially Sansa and Septa Mordane – to practice their swordplay. After that, it was almost as if Arya hadn't been angry with Laena at all. Sansa, on the other hand, was an entirely different story.

Sansa and Arya, if they spoke at all, only ever screamed at one another. If it wasn't Sansa berating Arya for her unladylike behavior – to which Laena always raised a brow – it was Arya screaming at Sansa because of the older girl's admiration of the royal family. Laena did her best to alleviate the tension between the two, but there was no fixing the relationship between the sisters when it had never been a good relationship to begin with.

The constant arguments between the Stark girls at least kept constant thoughts of Robb away from Laena's mind, which she was thankful for. Neither girl talked about it, but she could always feel their concerned gazes on her back when one would mention him in passing. Laena held neither Arya nor Sansa at fault when he was brought up in a conversation. He was, after all, their brother.

They were only a day's ride from King's Landing when Arya, as bold as ever, finally asked her about him outright. "Do you miss him?" she had asked. "I mean, I know that you loved him, so you must still miss him. Right?"

Laena smiled sadly at the younger girl. She knew Arya meant her no ill will by asking. The girl would never do anything to intentionally hurt her. "I do," she admitted quietly. Somehow, her heart hurt even more after voicing her feelings. Whoever said talking about feelings would make one feel better was full of shit. "Arya, you're right. Boys are stupid." This made the younger girl laugh loudly, drawing the attention of the guards around them.

"Mother says I'll find a husband in King's Landing. I don't want to get married. I want to be a warrior like Nymeria," she said proudly, raising her chin high as she looked up at Laena. "We can travel all over Westeros together and battle bandits. People would fear us in every corner of the world."

Laena's laughter rang through the darkening night. "I don't think we want people to fear us, exactly. More like respect us."

Arya looked at her and blinked. "I'd rather they feared us."

Laena snorted with laughter and held her aching sides. "Get some sleep, little wolf. We'll be in King's Landing by midday, and we can't explore unless you're fully rested."

Arya's eyes grew wide and she wordlessly ran off to where she, Sansa, and Septa Mordane were sleeping for the night. Laena stayed in her spot on the hill, overlooking the valley below and the distant glow of King's Landing further beyond. Behind her she could hear the laughter and loud voices of the King and Eddard and some of the King's other travel companions as they drank and enjoyed the fine meat of a large boar that the King had killed on a hunting party earlier that day. If it weren't for Jaime Lannister's eyes following her every move – including that very moment; she could see him standing just beyond the line of tents that were erected for the night, watching her – she would have grabbed a bottle of the King's fine wine for herself. It sure would have drowned the thoughts of Robb that Arya's evasive question brought to the surface.

"Fuck the Lannisters," she mumbled under her breath as she laid on her back and looked up at the stars. She wondered if Jon was at the Wall yet. Was he looking up at the same stars as she was?

She closed her eyes and slept under the stars, dreaming of her childhood at Winterfell when she was young and cared not for boys and other trivial things.

Within hours of waking the next morning, after a scolding from the old Septa for sleeping out in the open as she had, they arrived in King's Landing. Eddard was immediately called away for a Small Council meeting, but he didn't leave until he instructed Septa Mordane to take the girls to their rooms, get them settled, and make sure they didn't go gallivanting around the city. Arya and Laena shared an exasperated look upon hearing that. Sansa happily followed the Septa to their new quarters in the Tower of the Hand, marveling at nearly every structure that they passed. Arya scoffed when her sister's jaw dropped open at awe upon seeing all of the young knights crossing swords in the yard. Laena intervened when Arya reached forward to pull on a loose strand of Sansa's hair, grabbing the younger girl's wrist and pulling her away just a second before all hell broke loose.

"Arya, knock it off," Laena hissed quietly at her, smiling sweetly when the old Septa glanced back at them questioningly. Laena leaned down to Arya – which wasn't much of a distance anymore – and whispered quietly so no one else heard. "Don't start anything. Not yet, anyway."

Arya grinned. "She looks stupid. I just want to fix her hair for her."

"You really need to work on your lies if that's the way you're going to be while we're here," Laena teased, flicking Arya's ear playfully. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Watch and learn, little wolf." She gave a sly smile to Arya before turning to Septa Mordane, dropping her smile into a concerned frown and furrowing her brows softly. "Septa Mordane, if you would allow it, I'd like to take Arya to apologize to the Queen. We had been playing yesterday when we stopped for the night and she accidentally ran into Queen Cersei. She dirtied her dress, and the Queen looked so furious I pulled Arya away before she could apologize. I don't want either of us to start off on the Queen's bad side."

The Septa pursed her lips and thought it over before nodding softly. "You go apologize and come back immediately. No stops along the way. Do you understand?"

Laena smiled. "Very clearly. We won't be long, I swear." The Septa gave the two girls one last glance before turning and leading Sansa up the stairs to the Tower of the Hand. When Laena could no longer see them she turned to Arya and smirked, quirking an eyebrow. "Impressed?"

"Very," Arya replied, clearly stunned that the Septa bought the lie. "How'd you do that?"

"It's believable. Not true, but believable." Laena started to walk in the direction of the main square, Arya keeping pace beside her despite her shorter legs. "So where should we go first? Down by the sea, into the market, over by the-"

"Let's go watch the guards train!" Arya suggested excitedly as her big eyes grew even wider.

"If we stay within the castle grounds then there's always a chance that Septa Mordane will catch us, and then she won't trust me again, meaning that I won't be able to lie in order to sneak us out anymore." Laena gave Arya a look that told her there would be no discussion about it, and to Laena's surprise Arya remained silent, nodding to show that she understood. "Let's just walk around the city. There's so much to see. Plus, I want to find a tavern that I can go to when the Queen is be a bitch."

"Sounds like you'll be there often," Arya muttered just loud enough for Laena to hear, and the two started laughing, drawing several pairs of curious eyes to them. "You know, we could always just steal some of the Queen's wine."

"I like how you think, little wolf. But I'd rather spend as little time in the castle as possible. If I had had my way and not promised to look after you, I'd be back at Seagard right now, surrounded by the salty air and the sound of the ocean." Laena dropped her gaze to the ground, hoping no one would see just how depressed she was after everything that had happened recently. She sighed and added, "I'm here now, so we might as well make the most of it."

The two had entered the market by now, and on either side of them were stands filled with fish, fresh fruit, flowers, and accessories of all kinds. Laena wished she could purchase some of the jewelry, but she knew that Septa Mordane would catch her in her lie if she returned with new jewels adorning her neck and wrists. "I'll have to come back here another day," she said absentmindedly.

Arya snorted. "I don't understand how you can fight and dress like boys, but still wear this crap." She shook her head in disgust before grabbing Laena's hand and tugging her away from the cart filled with shimmering and glittering jewelry. "Let's go do something fun."

"Like what? This isn't Winterfell, Arya."

"I know," she said, hanging her head slightly. "I wish the King never came to visit Winterfell. Father wouldn't be the Hand of the King, we never would have met Joffrey, and you and Robb would-"

"Arya that's enough," Laena cut her off, anger etched all over her face. I've had enough exploring today. I need to lie down." She grabbed Arya's wrist and dragged her back the way that they had come, tuning out all of the younger girl's complaints. She knew that it was petty to blame Arya for her foul mood. She blamed herself. If only she had made one or two different choices during her time at Winterfell than maybe she wouldn't be hurting so badly. All of the possibilities kept playing over and over again in her mind, even as she locked her door behind her, even as her head hit the pillow, and even as she began to dream.

Over the next few weeks, Laena hardly left her room. She ate after everyone else had either left for the day or after they had gone to bed. She stayed in her room, writing letters to her brother, father, and sometimes even Jon. One letter had arrived from Catelyn, but Laena was hesitant to respond. She knew that anything she wrote back to Catelyn would be shared with Robb if he were to ask. Knocks sounded on her door often. Most times it was Arya begging her to open the door. Other times it was Eddard asking her to join them for dinner. A few times Septa Mordane wanted Laena to join the girls in their lessons, but after not receiving any answer after the fourth time she gave up.

When there was a knock on her door late one morning, she did what she always did when someone tried to get her to come out. She glanced up at the door briefly, frowned, and returned her attention to her book. That's when she heard a voice that she hadn't heard in years. "You know, I would have thought you'd be more excited to see your big brother," he called, being overly dramatic as he faked his disappointment. Laena swiftly threw her book down on her bed and crossed the room to the door, through the heavy ironwood doors open.

And then she smiled for the first time in the weeks. "What are you doing here, Patrek?" she asked, throwing her arms around him as tears began to stream down her face. "I've missed you so much. I just want to come home."

Patrek grabbed her shoulder and pushed her far enough away so that he could look at her face. "I know, little sister, but you made a promise to someone that you would watch over those girls," he reminded her with a small smile, wiping the tears from her face.

She laughed weakly. "How did you know about that?"

"Jon sent me a letter right before he left for the wall. He told me to remind you of your promise if you ever felt like giving up and returning to Seagard."

Laena pursed her lips and nodded, slowly leading him over to the balcony that overlooked the sea. She sat across from him and clasped her hands together in her lap, eyes trained on them. "Did Jon tell you everything else that happened?" she asked, worried that her brother would be disappointed if her brother knew the whole truth.

Patrek turned his gaze away from his sister, looking out over the sea and towards the horizon. "Yes, every last detail. At least all of the details that he knew." His eyes shifted back to Laena's face, blue eyes pleading with her. "Please tell me that you didn't...that he...Laena."

She gulped and shook her head. "No. We didn't." She choked back a sob as she said, "I thought I was going to marry him. I loved him, Patrek. I still do. And it hurts, it hurts so much that I…" She sighed and continued, "I just don't know what to do. How do I even start to feel normal again?"

"Do something to take your mind off of it," he suggested.

"Like what?" Laena asked sharply.

"Are you feeling up for some swordplay, sister? It's been awhile since I've had the chance to kick your ass," Patrek teased, bringing a smile to his sister's face.

She let out a huff of laughter before standing tall and giving her brother an amused smile. "You're on brother." Within five minutes she was changed and standing face to face with her brother, holding the wooden practice sword in her right hand.

"I'm not going to go easy on you, little sister," he warned her.

"I'm not expecting you to, big brother," she countered right before she charged, swinging the wooden sword at him. He blocked her attack and countered quickly, using his foot to swipe at her legs. Fortunately, that had always been Patrek's go to move in order to end the fight against her quickly, and this time she was prepared. She stepped back swiftly and swung again, this time aiming at his midsection. Her brother clearly hadn't been expecting that, and he groaned in pain as the wood connected with his ribs.

"You've learned a few things the past few years."

"I've had some great sparring partners," she told him, thinking back to her and Jon sparring in the Godswood before she had received permission from Catelyn and Eddard to practice with the boys. She raised her swords to block her brother's downswing. She kicked out at his leg while he was unguarded, the force of it throwing him onto his back. Laena approached and held the end of her sword at his throat. "I think I've finally won, big brother."

He frowned and pushed himself off of the floor. "I let you win, little sister."

"No," she disagreed, "I won fair and square."

"You were distracting me," he argued as he brushed the dust and dirt from his doublet and trousers.

"A wise man once told me to never let your guard down. And, dear brother, that is exactly what you did. I won fair and square." Laena spun on her heels when she heard clapping from somewhere behind her.

"Indeed I did," Eddard said, looking at Laena proudly. "That was very impressive, my dear." He stepped forward and pulled her into a soft embrace. "I'm glad to see you out of you room. I was starting to worry about you."

Laena smiled, but it soon disappear, being replaced by a confused expression. "Why did you never tell me that Patrek was coming to King's Landing?"

"It is not just your brother who is here, my dear. Your father is here as well, for the tournament that King Robert insisted on hosting. Patrek and your father are among the participants." Eddard clapped a hand to Patrek's shoulder, sharing a smile with him. "Unfortunately, the tournament starts tomorrow so your time with your family may be limited." Laena opened her mouth to protest, but Eddard held his hand up, effectively silencing her. "Your father and Patrek will be joining us for dinner tonight, and tomorrow you'll be joining the girls and Septa Mordane at the tournament."

Laena wanted to protest, but the look that Eddard was giving her told her that there was no getting out of going to the tournament. "Okay," she said, sighing in defeat. She glanced at Patrek. "You better not get knocked on your ass in the first round." She smirked before teasing, "Like every other tournament you enter." Patrek gave her shoulder a gentle shove, making her laugh as she pushed him back.

"Okay, that's enough, you two." Laena looked over at Eddard as he gave the order to see him smiling fondly at the siblings. "Go wash up. We'll be having dinner before too long."

Laena reached up on her toes to place a soft kiss on his cheek, an action she had taken to doing shortly after her tenth nameday. She gave Patrek a quick parting hug before returning to her chambers to wash the sweat from her body and to change into a gown of flowing silk – one similar to what many of the Southern noblewomen wore – that was a gift from Lady Catelyn, having arrived only days ago. She hadn't bothered reading the note that was attached, already know what it would say after she found out that Sansa had been writing her mother about the older girl. She didn't need any encourage or soothing words. She just needed to put everything behind her and focus on the present. She had been admiring in the periwinkle dress in her mirror when Arya knocked lightly on her door before entering. She said no words to the older girl, simply walking to the bed before flopping down onto it.

"Arya," Laena scolded, shoving the girl's feet off of the bed. "Why aren't you dressed?" Laena asked, noticing Arya was dressed in trousers and a tunic. When Laena thought hard about it, Arya looked similar to how she did when she used to train in the yard with the boys. Smiling at the girl playfully, she asked, "What exactly have you been up to, little wolf? Does your mother know you're dressing like a man?"

Arya raised herself up on her elbows, sharing a mischievous look with Laena before informing her, "Dancing lessons."

Laena snorted with laughter. "Dancing lessons? You? I thought I told you if you were going to lie it had to be believable. That wasn't believable, Arya."

She only shrugged. "Ask Father. He'll tell you I've been taking dancing lessons." Laena raised an eyebrow, gesturing at the younger girl's clothing. "Okay, so it's not exactly dancing lessons. But don't tell Sansa. She'll tell Mother right away," Arya warned. "I've been learning how to swordfight like the Braavosi." Her eyes and smile widened as she stared excitedly at Laena. "You should train with me, Laena!"

Laena glanced at the girl, unsure of how to respond. "Thank you for offering, but I don't think I'm suited for that style of fighting. I like the way that I used to train with your brothers."

"Then you should at least ask father if you could train with Jory. It would be a shame if you just stopped training." Arya's suggestion wasn't a bad one. Laena had trained with Jory occasionally when Jon or Robb were too busy doing whatever it was that they had to do. Laena never really bothered to ask what it was they were doing when they would disappear one morning and returned shortly before dinner. "I'm sure if you just asked he would allow it. As long as Jory wasn't too busy, that is."

Laena smiled warmly before shooing the girl out. "I'll think about it. Now go get cleaned up. We have guests joining us for dinner tonight."

Nearly completely out of the door, Arya turned around to look at the older girl questioningly. "Who?"

Laena's smile grew even wider. "My father and brother. Now go, little wolf! I'm sure Septa Mordane has already picked out a lovely dress for you." She threw her head back in laughter as Arya stuck her tongue out, clearly displeased that she would be forced into another dress.

Laena spent her time leading up to dinner reading, eyes tracing over the tale of Visenya and Rhaenys for the fourth time. She was so caught up in her book that she hadn't even noticed her brother enter her room.

"I will never understand your obsession with the Targaryens. Gods know Father can't stand that you read those books."

Laena gasped and slammed her book shut. "Don't sneak up in me like that!"

Patrek rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he leaned against the heavy ironwood door. "Whatever, little sister. Come, it's time to eat, and I'm starving." He nodded his head in a gesture for her to follow him, and she quickly stood and followed him out of her room and into the small main hall of the Tower of the Hand. "And leave that rubbish book here. If Father sees you with that he'll throw a fit."

"It's not my fault that Maester Luwin spoiled me and made sure I had access to any book my little heart desired," she replied, feigning innocence. "Maybe some reading would do you some good, big brother. Then you wouldn't be so stupid."

"Har har. Very fun," he said sarcastically as Laena skipped past him, sticking her tongue out at him. He tapped her lightly on the back of her head, making her smile fall from her face and a frown form in its place. "Come on, let's not keep Father waiting."

Laena followed Patrek into the largest room of the tower and was awed to see how many people were seated at the table. She had yet to dine with everyone since coming to King's Landing, but her impression of everyone was clearly different than Lord Eddard's. Members of the guard sat at the table, laughing and drinking goblets of mead, while the girls' handmaidens sat chatting idly as they sipped on their wine. Arya and Sansa sat between Septa Mordane, bickering about something arbitrary. Her father and Lord Eddard, however, sat at the end of the table, discussing something so quietly that it seemed like no one around them could hear. When Jason Mallister looked up and saw his daughter at the other end of the table, the discussion was immediately put on hold as he stood and approached her.

"My sweet girl!" His voice sounded as if it had been amplified over the sounds that echoed through the room. Multiple heads turned as eyes found her, clearly surprised to see her joining everyone for dinner for the first time in weeks. As her father grew closer, his eyes observed the girl that used to be thin and sickly. In front of him stood a grown woman of sixteen, one who he thought looked just like her mother had at that age. "You've grown so much in the last few years," he commented, gripping her shoulders and taking one last look at her before pulling her in for a tight hug. "I've missed you so much. You've become a beautiful young women, my dear Laena."

Laena smiled at her father, tears beginning to form, only these were different. These were happy tears, so unlike the other tears she shed since arriving in King's Landing. She was truly happy in that moment, being surrounded by her family, blood and foster. Her happiness this morning as she sparred with Patrek had only been fleeting, but here in this moment, Robb Stark was absent from her mind. She felt no disappointment, no heartache, no rejection. But in Laena's experience, happiness is only temporary.


	6. Chapter 6

Laena's mood improved drastically over the next few days. When her father and brother weren't competing she spent much of her time with them. When they were, however, she sat with Sansa, Arya, and Septa Mordane, watching the many events. She mainly watched the joust, knowing that her father would do well. He always did well. He had unhorsed a knight of the Kingsguard that Laena didn't recognize. In a later round he unhorsed Lord Royce, a man that Laena was surprised to see competing given his age. It was the young Knight of Flowers that finally unhorsed her father in an exciting match. Her father smiled proudly at the young man as he bowed his head at him before turning to meet his daughter's eyes. They shared a smile before her father mounted his horse and maneuvered it away from the track.

"This is so exciting!" Sansa cried happily, watching the Knight of Flowers with admiration clear in her eyes. Sansa gripped the older girl's arm tightly and whispered, "Look! He's coming this way!" She sat back in her seat, looking every bit the poised and proper girl that Laena knew her to be. The Knight, with his lifted helm, smiled at the girls as he passed, and recognition immediately showed on Sansa's face. "That's Loras Tyrell." She smiled at Laena and added, "He is a very handsome man, isn't he?"

Laena returned the smile. "He is," she agreed, watching as the young Knight followed her father towards the stables. She turned back to face the younger girl. "Don't tell me you're already picturing your future with the Knight of Flowers, Sansa."

Sansa laughed, a very sweet sound that seemed to fit Sansa well. "No, I'm picturing my wedding to him."

She averted her gaze to where the melee competition was taking place. Among all of the competitors, Laena could clearly make out her brother among the fighting. She sighed. "Sansa, Patrek isn't the man you want to marry. He stinks, he's not very smart, and he has terrible table manners." While all of it was true, she exaggerated slightly. Patrek was… Patrek. There was no way he would make a good husband to sweet Sansa. "The Knight of Flowers seems like he would be much better suited to you."

Sansa looked down at her hands in her lap as she fiddle with them nervously. "I just thought that… If I marry your brother then we would be sisters."

Laena smiled and lifted Sansa's chin with a gentle hand. "Sansa, we are sisters. A marriage between you and my brother won't make that any truer."

Sansa glanced over at her younger sister before whispering to Laena, "You're a much better sister than Arya."

"Sansa," Laena scolded.

"You actually talk to me about boys and you like to wear dresses and let me do your hair. Arya just fights me and wants to dress like a boy and be a warrior."

Laena smirked with her eyes narrowed playfully. "But I dress like a boy and fight like one, too."

"But you're different!" Sansa argued, making Laena laugh.

The Laena patted the red-haired girl softly on the head. "Arya and I are more similar than you might think." Laena stood and addressed Septa Mordane, "I think I'll go check on my father. Make sure his old bones weren't too damaged in that fall." The Septa only smiled in response as Laena turned and left in the direction that her father had gone only minutes ago. She lifted her skirts as to not dirty them as she walked along the dirt path that wound through the tourney grounds. Many noblemen and women had come to watch and participate in the tourney that was held in honor of her foster father – although he was nowhere to be seen – and she could help but admire the different clothes that adorned the bodies of the Southern men and women. The rich silks reminded her of the dress that Catelyn had gifted her, though these dressed were much more elaborate. Jewels hung from the waists of the women and beautiful golden chains draped from the hair. When she was caught staring by an older woman with sun kissed skin she blushed and scurried away before the woman had a chance to say anything. As mesmerized as she was by the beauty of it all, she felt plain in comparison. Her flowing indigo gown was a simple one. It had no patterns marking the cloth, and no jewels draped over her skin. Instead, the only piece of jewelry that she wore was a small silver pendant, gifted to her for her fifteenth nameday by her father. _"It used to belong to your mother,"_ he had said as he clasped it around her neck. She had taken to wearing it every day after they arrived in King's Landing, using it as a reminder of the home she hadn't seen in so long. Each and every day she longed to return to Seagard, but Jon's voice in the back of her head always prevented her from doing so. She had promised to look after Arya and Sansa, and that promise was what kept her from running away and returning to Seagard in the middle of the night.

Caught up in her own thoughts, she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going and walked directly into a back, a heavily armored back. When she looked up she saw a very displease Jaime Lannister looking down at her. "Hasn't anyone ever told you to watch where you're going, girl?" he hissed before turning around and leading his horse towards the stables. "My sister was right about you."

That caught Laena off guard, and she hurried to catch up with him. "What do you mean by that?" she asked when she finally caught up, falling into step with him. She furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips, looking at him in a way that she could only hope looked somewhat demanding. "What did the Queen say about it?"

"Nothing good," he told her with a smug smirk. "Now leave me alone. I don't have time for northern pests."

Laena snorted in frustration, halting her steps as he carried on towards the stables. She wanted to find her father, but that would mean follow Ser Jaime, and she wasn't about to be a 'northern pest', as he put it so kindly. She huffed. She wasn't even northern. She was born in the Riverlands, just as he father and brother were. Deciding it was fort the best to not continue following Ser Jaime towards the stables, Laena found the nearest bench and waiting there for her father, hoping that he would come back this way.

It wasn't long until somewhat sat beside her, but judging by the scent of the perfume it most certainly wasn't her father. She turned in her seat and noticed Margaery Tyrell sitting beside her and smiling sweetly. "You left so suddenly, Lady Laena. I thought I'd come check on you," she told her, though Laena could see through her lie.

"Why are you really here, Lady Margaery?" Laena looked at the other girl suspiciously, wondering why the Prince's soon-to-be wife had bothered to follow her away from the tourney stands.

Margaery smiled softly, keeping her lips pursed. Laena waited, looking at the other girl expectantly. "I've been curious about you," she admitted. "You've been in King's Landing for over a month, but I've hardly seen you. And after all, we are cousins."

Laena huffed in disbelief. "Cousins?"

Margaery nodded. "Our grandmothers were sisters. Did you not know that?" Laena shook her head, brows furrowed. "Perhaps you could join my grandmother and me in the garden for tea and lemon cakes soon." She looked expectantly at the dark haired girl, eyes wide and smile never faltering. Laena nodded slowly, wondering to herself if agreeing was a mistake. Margaery smiled and clapped her hands together happily. "Wonderful! I'll send word that morning." Laena watched as the future Queen stood, smoothed her dress, and, with one last parting smile, turned to return to the tourney stands and to Prince Joffrey.

Laena eventually found her father, and together they watched as Patrek made it to the final five in the melee before being beaten by an unknown man in red. Laena asked her father who it was, but even he couldn't put a name to the face. When Patrek finally joined them, she teased, "I thought you were going to win this time?" She frowned at her brother, but when he shoved her lightly to the side she burst into laughter. "Only playing, dear brother," she assured him before smiling wryly at him. "I already knew you weren't going to win." The banter between her brother and herself continued in the same manner well into the night, and when morning came and they were reunited for the final jousts of the tourney it continued similarly once again. Their father watched his children, laughing and shaking his head. Laena hardly noticed when Loras Tyrell unhorse Gregor Clegane, the Mountain. She did, however, certainly notice when the large men beheaded his own horse, right there in front of the King and all of the other spectators. She gasped at the horrible sight of the disembodied horse head, gripping her brother's sleeve tightly. Sansa was besides her, screaming as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. She closed her eyes tight and buried her face in her brother's shoulder until finally the King put an end to the fight between the two Clegane brothers.

She spent one final evening with her family after that. The next morning, the left.

Laena occupied her time with training and reading. Sometimes she and Sansa would walk through the Red Keep, admiring the large castle and all of its southern beauty. Sometimes she would join Arya and her Braavosi mentor, Syrio Forel. When she wasn't training in the yard with Jory and the other members of the guard that weren't busy, she trained on her own, focusing on the way she held her blade, the movements of each swing, and her footwork. For as small as she was, her footwork was miserly at best, but after some practice she was starting to see improvement. She was so engrossed in focusing on her footwork that she had hardly noticed anyone enter the room. Swinging her blade one last time, she lowered it and turned to her guest. "Lord Eddard," she greeted happily as she placed her blade on the table beside her. His grave expression changed her tune. "Lord Eddard, is something wrong?"

Her foster father took a seat and addressed her question. "I am sending you girls back to Winterfell." Upon hearing his words, Laena's face dropped. "No. I can't go back that. I won't. I'm old enough now that I can return to Seagard, aren't I?" Laena couldn't face Robb and future bride. She just couldn't. She was finally starting to forget him and everything that they had done together. Return to Winterfell this soon would only cause old memories to resurface, and Laena couldn't handle it. Not yet. On the outside she was growing stronger every day, but on the inside she was still that weak little girl.

"I need you to return with the girls. I haven't told them yet, but when I do they both will protest my decision. I need you to help convince them that it is for the best." His face remained expressionless, but his eyes pleaded with Laena. She couldn't bear to disappoint the man who raised her, so she nodded. "I will tell the girls tonight. Be ready. They won't be happy."

Eddard was right. When he told Arya and Sansa that the three girls would be returning to the North, both began to argue. Arya didn't want to leave because of her lessons with Syrio Forel, and Sansa didn't want to leave because she believe that the Tyrell's would soon suggest marriage between herself and Loras. When Sansa and Arya stormed out of the room, Laena stayed behind and looked at the man who raised her, waiting for his reaction. Though he never gave her one. Instead, he gave her a warning. "Be ready for anything that may happen, my dear."

Two days later, King Robert died.

Laena had been with Arya and Syrio Forel when the guards came, claiming that Lord Stark wanted to see both girls. When they refused, swords were drawn and the truth of the situation presented itself. She had been expecting something like this to happen following the King's death, so she had been ready. "Arya, run!" she called, throwing the wooden sword to the ground and drawing her steel blade. One of the guards laughed. "What're you gonna do with that, girl?" he asked, mocking her. "You gonna poke me with it?"

The guards charged at Laena and Syrio, and while she was quicker, he was stronger. When one of the guard's blade cut into the skin of her face, Laena lowered her blade and backed away from the man that remained standing. Syrio continued to defend himself, not speaking until the guard split his wooden sword. "What do we say to the god of death?" he asked Arya, never once taking his eyes off of the man in front of him.

"Not today," she replied.

"Go," was the last thing they heard Syrio say before the two began to run.

In the madness of the moment, Laena somehow lost sight of Arya. She was frantic to find her though she dare not call her name and draw attention to herself. She wiped at the blood that trailed down her face from the deep cut left by the guard. She knew that it was going to scar, and it wouldn't be pretty. Thankfully, it felt relatively small, spanning maybe an inch or two across the left outer edge of her lips. She ran through the city, looking for any sign of Arya but finding none. When guards came running through the streets, she ducked into one of the small inns – one that most likely operated as a brothel, judging by the amount of scarcely dressed women that sat upon men's laps – in order to avoid being seen. Unfortunately, she didn't think about the attention that abruptly bursting into the inn would bring. All of the eyes of the patrons (and prostitutes) fell on her, taking in her bloody and disheveled appearance. An elderly women rushed up to her, damp rag in hand. Dabbing at her bloody lip, the old woman asked, "What happened to you, dear?" Laena remained silent as the women continued to tend to her wound. "Doesn't matter. Come, let's get you fixed up." She grabbed Laena by the wrist and dragged her into a back room.

When the women had finished cleaning her wound and put a poultice on it, she gained the courage to speak up. "Is there any chance I could stay here for the time being? I- I don't have the coin to pay, but I can work," she offered. Laena knew that it would most likely be a mistake – she had never had to work a day in her life – but it was the only option she had while the Lannister guards were still searching for her.

The women huffed after some thought and finally nodded. "You'll help serve the customers in return for a room and a warm meal every night. One slip up and you're out, d'you understand?" Laena nodded.

She spent the rest of the day bringing men their ale and helping the women count their coins after the men had left their bed. One man tried to pull her into his lap, but upon seeing her scar, red and searing, he let go of her wrist and let her return to her work. When night had fallen and most of the men and women had left, the old woman showed Laena to the small room that she would be sleeping in. The room was hardly large enough for the small bed to fit in the room and it looked heavily used, but it was better than being on the streets until she figured out what to do.

One good thing to come out of her latest arrangement was the gossip that she heard from the patrons, men and women alike. She had learned that almost every servant that the Starks had brought to King's Landing with them had been slaughtered, and her dear foster father had been locked away in the dungeons. Despite knowing how dangerous it would be, Laena grabbed the black cloak that one of the women had left behind and made her way towards the Red Keep.

Sneaking past the guards was no easy task. She could tell by how many were on the streets that they were still searching for her and Arya. She kept the hood up and her face down as she avoided the light of the torches and lanterns as best as she possibly could. She stuck to the shadows, staying light on her feet as she came closer and closer to the entrance of the dungeon. Thankfully, it wasn't heavily guarded. She slipped in without being seen by the lone guard standing post at its entrance, and continued her way deeper into the darkness. Only one guard passed her, and to avoid being seen, she pressed herself against one of the stone pillars, trying her hardest to blend in with the shadows. Once the guard was out of sight, she grabbed one of the torches from its perch on the wall and walked deeper and deeper until she finally found where Eddard was being kept.

She looked down at him, feeling sick at seeing him sitting in the dark like a common prisoner. When she kneeled beside him and pulled her hood down he gasped. "What are you doing here?" he asked, concern etched on his face. "You shouldn't be here. You're putting yourself in even more danger."

Laena shook her head, disregarding his words. "I had to come. What happened today?"

"I tried to expose the truth," was all he said. "Where are Sansa and Arya?"

Laena lowered her eyes, upset with herself for not knowing the answer to his question. "I don't know, but I swear to you I will get them out of King's Landing."

Eddard grasped her hand and squeezed reassuringly. "I trust you with their lives, Laena. But be prepared for anything that may happen. Word reached me today that the Queen has sent for her daughter, so we'll have no leverage should anything happen. You need to get the girls back to Winterfell. Promise me, Laena."

Laena gripped his hand tighter. "I promise you, Eddard. I will do everything I possibly can to get Sansa and Arya home."

Eddard smiled warmly at her despite his current situation. "Now go, my dear. If you get caught in here my daughters have little chance of returning home."

Laena nodded, but said no more words. She lifted her hood and turned to leave, stopping a few feet from the corner. She turned around, eyes burning with unshed tears. "Thank you, Eddard," she whispered. "Thank you for raising me. You've helped me become the woman I am today." She left without listening to any response he may have had.

She cried that night in that small room, but this time it was different. She did not cry for Robb. Instead, she cried for the life she once had.

She spent the next few weeks working from midday until late into the night, carrying on despite the constant remarks about her scar. It had become less red and instead became such a light shade of pink that it was nearly white. Most nights, after she had cleaned up and everyone had left, she would go out and wonder the streets, sticking to the shadows to avoid the guards as she searched for Arya. One night before going out once more, as she was cleaning up, the door opened. "We're closed," she told the person without turning away from the table that she was scrubbing clean.

"Can't you make some time for me, dear cousin?"

At the sound of the melodic voice, she swiftly turned around. "Lady Margaery, you shouldn't be here. If someone was to find you here and lead the guards to me-"

Margaery raised a hand to her, silencing her effectively. She took a step closer, before reassuring, "Do not worry, cousin. I'm here to help you."

Laena looked at her skeptically. "How could you possibly help me? It is your betrothed's family that is looking for me."

"We are family by blood, Laena. I do not turn my back on family." Margaery turned away and returned to the door. Before pushing it open she ordered, "Put on your cloak and follow me."

Laena did as she was told, following Margaery through the streets and back towards the Red Keep. It had been weeks since she had been there. Was Sansa okay? Had the Lannisters found Arya? There were so many questions that she wanted to ask, but she didn't dare speak, knowing that anyone could overhear them at any moment. Margaery led her thought the castle and to a room that Laena could only assume was Margaery's private quarters.

"How long has it been since you bathed?" Her cousin asked as she removed her cloak. One of her handmaids was in the room with them, and Laena eyed her cautiously. Upon seeing the skepticism that Laena held towards the other girl Margaery laughed. "Dear cousin, don't worry about Mira. Your secret is safe with her. You were, after all, going to be sisters had your engagement not ended."

Laena looked at the girl with curiosity. "Mira Forrester?"

"Yes, m'lady," the girl replied, bowing her head.

"Mira, draw Lady Laena a bath. She needs to be bathed before we can do anything else." Without another word, Mira began heating the water and putting it into the deep wooden tub in the corner of the room. "Laena, sit down." She did as she was told, and soon another handmaid entered the room, a small blade in hand.

Laena eyed the blade with wild eyes. "What are you doing?" she nearly screamed. She closed her eyes as the girl drew closer and closer, and she waited for the cool blade to swipe across her dirty skin. But it never did. Instead, she felt as chunks of her hair fluttered to the ground around her feet.

"We need to cut and dye your hair. We can disguise you as one of my handmaids for now, but that disguise won't work forever. Someone is bound to recognize you eventually." When the girl was done cutting her hair Laena stood and approached the mirror that Margaery had placed near the tub. Her hair that had once reached nearly the small of her back now just barely passed her shoulders. She wanted to cry, mourn for the loss of the hair she had spent years growing and refusing to cut, but if this was the only way she could walk about the castle somewhat freely than she would do anything necessary.

Next, she stepped into the tub, ignoring the burning sensation that she felt all over her body as it touched the water, and scrubbed away the weeks of dirt. Once she was bathed and dried, the black dye was caked in her hair, making it darker than even the Northern nights.

She was barely recognizable when she looked at her reflection in the mirror. The darker, much shorter hair along with her scar changed her into a different women, one that not even the best Lannister guard would be able to recognize. "What should I call you?" Margaery asked once Laena was dressed in the outfit of Margaery's handmaids.

"Abygael," Laena replied, thinking of their cousin back in Seagard.

Margaery smiled. "Well, Abygael, it's wonderful to meet you."

Laena used the next few days to get close to Sansa, but all of her efforts seemed futile. The Queen was at her side at all moments of the day. Laena didn't get to close out of fear that the Queen would recognize her despite her changed appearance. She had to appeal to Margaery on multiple occasions to try to get Sansa alone, but nothing they tried ever worked. One afternoon, as she stood with Mira in the garden while Margaery visited with her grandmother, she was finally recognized.

"Don't think I don't notice my own sister's granddaughter," Olenna Tyrell told her after she had felt the elder woman staring at her for some time.

"I think you have me confused with someone else, m'lady." Laena averted her gaze, hoping that the expression on her face wouldn't give her lie away.

Olenna stood and made her way over the Laena. She gripped her chin in her hand, forcing the girl to look at her. She turned her head this way and that, observing her features. "You look just like your grandmother. Even with that scar there's no mistaking it." When Laena's eyes widened in fear Olenna laughed. "Don't be scared my dear. Your secret is safe with me." She sat back down and gestured at the empty seat between Margaery and herself. "Sit, girl." Laena sat, but remained wary. If anyone saw her sitting with the Tyrells, they would question her, and she wanted to remain as irrelevant as possible for the remainder of her time in King's Landing. "What is that you've been calling yourself?"

"Abygael, m'lady," she answered, finally meeting the elder Tyrell's gaze. "Lady Tyrell, I don't mean to overreach, but I need your help. Sansa isn't safe with the Queen, but there's nothing I can do to get her out of King's Landing. It would only result in both our deaths if I did."

Olenna took some time to think about Laena's words, slowing sipping at her wine. Finally, she set the glass down and met Laena's gaze. "Perhaps I can have Sansa taken to Highgardern. Before all of this madness began I was hoping to arrange for you and my eldest grandson to wed, but Sansa would be a good match for Willas. Don't you agree, Margaery?"

"Of course, Grandmother," the other girl replied.

Olenna smiled at her granddaughter before addressing Laena again. "I will do what I can. I'll make no promises, but with Margaery's wedding to Joffrey approaching, I may be able to get her out of King's Landing."

Laena smiled, grateful for the elder woman's help. "Thank you, Lady Tyrell." She knew that Sansa would be in good hands with Olenna Tyrell. Though her grandmother hadn't spoken much about her family she did tell her that her sisters would do anything for one another. Laena could only hope that that sentiment would be passed to the descendants of Olenna's sister. "Have you heard anything about my other foster sister? Arya?"

Olenna frowned. "I'm afraid I haven't dear. But that could also be a good thing. At least she hasn't been found by the Lannisters."

Laena nodded and stood to take her spot next to Mira. She thought about Lady Olenna's words as she stared out over the ocean, wondering how much longer she would have to pretend to be someone she was not. Her hair had started to grow back, and the black dye had already had to be redone twice. Soon, someone was going to notice her. Someone who wasn't as benevolent as Olenna Tyrell had been.

That day came sooner than she had expected. Laena had heard whispers that Eddard was to be executed within the week, but she hadn't expected it to be so soon. She followed Margaery through the streets to where everyone had gathered, though she didn't stand behind Margaery like Mira and Sera did. Instead, she disappeared into the crowd and felt for her blade beneath her cloak. She wanted to be ready for anything.

She watched with baited breath as her foster father, still in chains, was led through the crowd and up the steps, towards the awaiting block. She didn't hear anything that Joffrey said. She only head the crowd, cheering as Joffrey called for Eddard's head. She closed her eyes, not wanting to watch as the man who raised her lost his head. She hear the swoosh of the blade, the cheer of the crowd, and the sound of Joffrey laughing as he taunted Sansa. When she opened her eyes she saw someone she never thought she would see again.

"Arya!" she called over the loud roar of the crowd. The young girl turned to face her, showing immediate recognition despite her appearance. Laena pushed through the crowd to get closer, though Arya only grew further and further away. "Arya!" Finally, she saw it. The girl was being pulled away by a man dressed in black, a member of the Night's Watch. "Arya! Stop!"

Her calls had attracted the attention of the others, and soon, the Queen had found her, seeing her for who she really was immediately. Laena could see the smugness in the Queen's eyes as she pointed her out to the guards.

She turned and ran. She looked for Arya as she broke free of the crowd, but the threat of the quickly approaching Lannister guards made her flee. She ran through the city, pushing men and women of all ages to the side so she could get through the crowd. She ran to where she had been instructed to if anyone were to ever discover her true identity. She ran to the edge of the city, constantly looking over her should as the guards pursued her. She lost them for a moment in the crowd, but once the people began to disperse the men where even closer than they had been before. She kept a hand on the hilt of her sword, hoping she would escape without having to use it.

As she drew closer to where her horse was waiting, she grew more and more nervous that there was a chance she wouldn't escape. She shuddered thinking about what would happen to her if she was caught. What would Cersei do to her? It would be a mercy if she killed her right away? She couldn't bear to think about being held as the Lannisters prisoner.

Finally, she reached the black mare, and leaping from behind it, mounted it smoothly. She looked over her shoulder as the horse galloped quickly away. The men who had been chasing her grew smaller and smaller the faster she pushed the horse.

She took a deep breath, relieved to be out of King's Landing. She could only pray that Olenna would keep Sansa safe and that Arya got out of the city safely with the member of the Night's Watch. She would know in time, but until then her focus was on returning to Seagard.


	7. Chapter 7

She lost track of how long she had been riding. She could feel her horse growing weaker and weaker the harder she pushed the black mare, and she could tell she didn't have much more time before her horse could push no more. She had hardly slept or eaten since she left King's Landing, but she knew that if she stopped there was a chance that the Lannister guards that had been pursuing her would find her and taking her back to King's Landing, kick and screaming as they handed her over to the Queen. To make matters worse, her entire body was sore and aching. She was hardly gripping the rains anymore, hands too stiff to curl around the leather.

"Just a little bit farther," she called to her horse, running a hand down its silver mane. The rain started to fall harder as the sky darkened to the point where she couldn't see where she was going any more. Her only saving grace was when a strike of lightning lit up the sky. The low rumbling in the sky told of the force of the storm coming, and Laena only hoping that she would find shelter before it was upon her. Another flash of lightning lit the sky, and she let out an exasperated laugh when she saw an opening in the trees. The open field was a welcoming sight, and beyond that field were small buildings. She pushed her horse even harder, trying to reach one of the buildings before the rain made the fields too muddy to cross on horseback.

She was nearly half the distance to the buildings when lightning light the sky once again, but this time the thunder that followed boomed so loudly that it spooked her horse into rearing up on its hind-legs, throwing Laena from the saddle in the process and to the muddy ground. Laena watched powerlessly as the horse galloped away, leaving her alone in the field. She let out a scream of frustration that was drowned out by more thunder before slowly, painfully climbing to her feet. They felt weak beneath her, and she knew that if she didn't reach cover soon she would be stranded in the storm, left to the mercy of the wilderness around her.

White spots began to form in her vision the harder she pushed herself, hating herself for not taking better care of herself over the last few days. If only she had stopped to sleep more regularly and ate at least once each day, maybe she would have the strength to keep pushing. Instead, she could hardly stay on her feet, falling to the grass slick with ran below her. She couldn't even tell if the wetness on her face was tears or ran.

She squeezed her eyes shut as she pushed through the pain, rising to her feet once again. She bit her lip, most likely drawing blood as she took off running, ignoring the pain as the only thing that was on her mind was getting out of the storm. The buildings drew closer and closer as her legs began to wobble like a newborn foal. She was less than a hundred feet from the building then, and she let began laughing, ignoring the burning sensation in her legs that was starting to move through her entire body. She fell once more, but it didn't stop her. She got back up and continued her flimsy run towards shelter, knowing that she was going to be safe from the storm and get some sleep for the first time in nearly two days.

She didn't even see the men coming. She was so overjoyed that she had actually made it to the building that she wasn't paying attention to any of her surroundings. The moment one pulled on her arm, turning her to face them, she drew her sword. Though she didn't have the energy to actually fight, she took three good swings at the man before the other two grabbed her arms, a third pulling the blade from her hands. She fought against the men as they dragged her towards their horses, screaming so loudly she didn't hear a thing that any of the men said. She kicked at them and tried to free her arms from the grasps, but it seemed like it was all in vain. She was slung over one of the men's horse after her hands had been tied together, and out of fear of falling from the horse, she remained unmoving.

Laena prayed to the Gods that the men who captured her would just kill her themselves. She didn't want to imagine the sort of psychological torture that Cersei Lannister would put her through. Her heart ached for Sansa then, and she silently wished that things never changed those few months ago. She wished that the King had never come to Winterfell. She wished the Eddard had never accepted when King Robert offered him the position of Hand of the King. She wished that she had never gone to King's Landing. She wished that she had never left Seagard all those years ago.

"Untie her," she heard one of the men say when they stopped moving. Laena tried to lift her head to see where they had stopped, but the hood of her cloak hung low over her eyes. Arms reached around her and set her firmly on the ground. The man pulled a blade and cut the rope that bound her hands before gripping her arm tightly and leading her away from the horses. The three men followed behind them, and she could feel their eyes on her back, watching her cautiously.

Despite the light from their torches, she still didn't know where she was. After they had captured her they hadn't rode for long before coming to a stop. The large castle that stood before her was unfamiliar to her eyes, though in the back of her mind a sense of recognition was tugging at her. She could her the rain falling on water not too far from where they stood, but nothing gave way to the identity of the castle or the lord who presided over it. She hadn't even seen a sigil on the cloaks of the men who were escorting her.

They entered the castle and walked down a long hall, a lit with the flames of torches. Portraits lined the wall, but Laena recognized none of the occupants of the golden frames. The man who held her gripped her arm tighter as they approached a large set of ironwood doors so large they would have intimidated a much younger version of herself. Two of the men who had been walking silently behind her moved towards the doors as she and the man who was leading her paused just short of the doors. "No funny business, ya hear?" Laena kept her head down, staring at her muddied feet. She heard as the doors creaked open, sounding every bit as heavy as they looked. The man pulled her forward, dragging her into the room. She could hear as the booming voices of the men that littered the room fell into hushed whispers. The doors slammed shut behind her, and suddenly all she heard was silence. Her eyes remained downcast as the man ripped the hood back, revealing her scarred, muddied face to everyone in the room. "We found the rider, m'lord."

Laena could feel curious eyes on her, and she lifted her gaze to meet the man who sat in the lord's chair. Her eyes widened in instant recognition, and her heart began to hurt even more than it ever had. She watched with baited breath as Grey Wind approached her, sniffing her boots. Finally, he pushed the hand that was stiff at her side, licking it in greeting. She crouched down and patted the large direwolf's head and laughed as he licked her face. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, boy?" Whispers began going around the room about the girl who held no fear of the large animal. She ruffled Grey Wind's fur and pressed a kiss to his long snout before lifting her eyes, gray meeting blue.

Recognition didn't take hold in his eyes as quickly as it did hers, but after trailing his eyes over her dirtied face his mouth fell slightly open as his azure eyes held the same sense of recognition that hers did. "Laena?" When she gave him no answer he stood and approached her, taking slow and steady steps. She stood up straight when he came to a stop in front of her, eyes tracing the features of her face as if trying to fit Laena the Laena he once knew to the girl that stood before him. Robb's hand reached out to her face, brushing some of the dried mud away. "It is you." He dropped his hand back to his side and took a step back, trying to come to terms with her sudden appearance in front of him.

Laena turned her attention to where the skid of a chair against the ground was heard. She let out a breath of relief as she saw Catelyn approaching her. "My dear child," Catelyn greeted as she pulled Laena into a hug, not caring that her dress would get muddied as well. She glanced over Catelyn's shoulder at Robb, who looked at her, dumbfounded.

"Is there something on my face?" she joked humorlessly when she finally spoke directly to him. She cocked her head to one side and raised a brow. "Hm?"

Robb opened his mouth and shut it again, shaking his head. He wiped a hand across his brow, a nervous habit. He approached her slowly once again, taking hold of her arms and whispering, "They told me that you were dead."

Laena scoffed. "I'm very much alive despite the Lannister's best efforts to kill me." She glanced around the room at all of the curious eyes. Her grey eyes found him then. His hair was starting to grey and the wrinkles by his eyes were more pronounced, but aside from that Jason Mallister looked the same as the day he had sent Laena to live in Winterfell with Catelyn Stark. "Father," she called out. She rushed to him, embracing him tightly. "I'm here. I'm safe," she said into his shoulder as he hugged her tightly.

"My sweet girl," he greeted, placing a soft kiss on her temple. His smile widened as their eyes met, but when his eyes scanned her face the smile quickly fell. "Who did this to you?" he asked, gripping her chin gently and turning it upwards so he could get a closer look at her scar. "Those fucking Lannisters." Laena mouth fell open in surprise. As a child, her father hardly ever used vulgar language. She knew her brother had an affinity for it. Her father was always there to scold him though, saying he shouldn't use such language around a lady.

And here was Jason Mallister, cursing the Lannisters before more than just one lady.

Laena took his hands in hers and squeeze. "But I'm safe. I may not be as pretty as you remember, but I'm still whole." Laena smiled at her father, his eyes twinkling with pride. Movement behind him caused her eyes to shift and land on her older brother as he stood.

Laena's hand slipped from her father's as she jumped into her brothers arms. "I've missed you, too, little sister." He chuckled and pinched her cheek teasingly. "Next time, send a raven to let us know you're safe. Father hardly slept the past ten nights." Laena raised a brow at her brother expectantly, and he finally conceded, "Okay, so I hardly slept either. I was worried about you."

"We're all here now, as a family," she said, looking between her brother and father with happy eyes. Laena turned away, intending on pulling Patrek over to Dacey and Smalljon for proper introductions, but her tugged back, his strength overpowering hers.

"I need to speak with you." He glanced over at their father who was in the middle of greeting his deceased wife's brother, Lord Glover. "In private."

Laena sighed and nodded. "Follow me." She led him from the Great Hall and into the empty hall, looking around her to make sure no one had followed them out of curiosity. "What is it that you have to tell me?"

"He's sick again, Laena." Four words was all it took to crush her heart as easily as it had been crushed the day Joffrey Baratheon called for Lord Eddard's head.

"What do you mean?" The fear had crept into her voice, onto her face, and into her eyes. Patrek gave her a sympathetic look, reaching for her hand. "Patrek?"

"He should have stayed in Seagard with Maester Duren. He shouldn't be riding into battle."

Laena leaned against the stone wall, breathing deeply as she was trying to process what Patrek was telling her. "Is he-", she stopped herself. She couldn't even bring herself to ask the question. Instead, she hung head and squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

"No. At least I don't think so. He's just always tired. He's weaker than he used to be." He shook his head and lifted his head to meet Laena's sad gaze. "He's not strong enough to fight anymore, Laena. I worry about him." Then he added, sadness lingering in his voice, "I'm not ready to become Lord of Seagard yet."

She pulled her brother into a tight hug then, and brother and sister held each other as they softly cried, praying to the Seven that their father would recover just as he did every other time he was afflicted. When Patrek had wiped her tears from her face and her face was no longer red, they joined their father in the Great Hall, laughing and talking as if they had nothing to fear when it came to Jason Mallister's health.

Finally, her exhaustion got the best of her and she swayed on her feet as she stood.

Catelyn stepped forward then, grabbing her small hand in one of her own and covering it with the other. "Follow me dear. We'll get you cleaned and fed first." The loud chattering began once again, some of the serving girls asking who the dirty girl was while the men discussed how it was possible that the small Mallister girl had escaped from the Lannisters. She glanced back at Robb only once as Catelyn led her from the Great Hall, and the sight that she saw made her heart ache. Robb looked as if he'd seen a ghost, but the sad expression on his face haunted her even more than any ghost could.

Catelyn and Laena wound their way through the castle halls and up twisting, stone steps. She finally saw the Tully banner hanging from the wall at the bottom of the stairs. She had only been a few days ride from Seagard when she had been unhorsed; she was torn between leaving in the middle of the night and returning to the home she knew as a young girl or staying in Riverrun to fight for her family, blood and foster.

One look at Catelyn and she had made her mind up.

The older woman, the woman that had raised as if she were her mother, looked broken. She had just lost her husband, her two daughters were missing, and her eldest son was putting his life on the line by going to war. Laena had heard whispers of the King in the North on the few occasions that she stopped to eat during her journey. She heard that Robb had called the banners and that he was marching south. She didn't believe it at first, but she had seen all of the northern lords gathered in the Great Hall of Riverrun with her own eyes. She was sure that thousands of men supporting Robb weren't far from the castle.

Catelyn showed her to the room she would be staying in while she was a guest at Riverrun. It was smaller compared to her room in Winterfell, but she hadn't been expecting anything grand. She was happy to see the steaming water rising from the bath. She striped from her clothes and watched as one of the three handmaids that Catelyn had ordered into the room took them away, to be cleaned or disposed of Laena didn't know. She stepped into the water, embracing the burning sensation it left on her skin as she sunk further into the water. She sighed contently as she relaxed into the warmth of the water. One of the two remaining handmaids began washing the dirt from her skin with a rag while the other wet her hair and began brushing through it. Her eyes fluttered shut, and sleep threatened to overtake her. She was only shaken from her descent into darkness from a voice from across the room.

"Were you there when it happened?" Laena opened her eyes and met Catelyn's sorrowful gaze. Laena turned her head slightly, averting her eyes as she nodded. Catelyn shut her eyes tightly and Laena could see her knuckles turning white as she gripped the wooden bedframe tightly. She shook her head and stood. "I'll go find something for you to wear." She left without any more words to her ward.

Laena relaxed further into the water, sinking so low that she was fully submerged. She could feel the tension leaving her muscles as she resurfaced and wiped the water from her face. At this point the water was brown from the dried mud from her body, and she had no desire to stay in the water. She climbed from the tub before the handmaid had even finished scrubbing her body. The young girl was about to protest, but one look from Laena made her remain silent. She stood and approached the window. Still naked, she watched as the lightning lit up the sky, though from this side of the castle she could see the thousands of men camped in the field, flying banners from all of the great houses in the north. Manderly, Umber, Bolton, Glover, Mormont, Karstark, Stark. She could even make out the banner of her once future house, the ironwood tree of House Forrester.

"M'lady, you should dress before you catch a chill," one of the handmaids said softly, holding out her smallclothes for her. She took them hesitantly and dressed, and soon after Catelyn entered with a small, plain dress.

Her foster mother held the grey dress out to her, saying, "I know it's not much but until we can get a proper dress you'll have to make do." Laena gave her a grateful smile, knowing that Catelyn was being pushed to her breaking point just as much as she was. The handmaids helped her dress and twisted her hair into a simple braid before bringing a meal of salted pork and bread. The woman that had brought her meal – the same woman that had taken her muddy clothes – widened her eyes in surprise when Laena asked for bottle of wine with her meal but complied anyway.

Catelyn remained in the room, sipping on her own glass of wine as Laena ate. She somehow still felt hungry when she had finished her meal, and Catelyn had ordered a plate lemon cakes to be brought to them. They sat in comfortable silence, simply enjoying the companionship that they provided one another. Laena poured her third glass of wine when the lemon cakes were set before them, but suddenly Laena had lost her appetite. All she could think about was how much she and Sansa enjoyed eating lemon cakes after dinner every night. She pushed the tray away from her, finally speaking. "I'm sorry. I- I think I've lost my appetite."

Catelyn opened her mouth to reply, but the sound of the door being swung open took the attention of both women. Robb strode into the room, eyes locked with Laena's, and ordered, "Give us the room." The handmaids filed out of the room, whispering amongst themselves about the handsome Northern King. Robb either didn't hear them or he ignored them. Catelyn, on the other hand, was somewhat hesitant to leave her ward and her son alone, knowing fully well what had happened in Winterfell when they had been left to themselves. Laena's eyes never left Robb's. She hardly noticed when Catelyn stood and walked from the room. When the door was shut firmly behind her, Robb dropped his stony façade and rushed to Laena pulling her into a tight, warm hug. Laena reveled in the feeling of being in his arms once more, but the feeling was gone almost as soon as it had arrived. She pushed herself out of Robb's grasp, averting her gaze.

"You shouldn't be here, Robb," she whispered, her voice hoarse and broken.

Robb took a step forward, arm extending to brush his hand along Laena's arm tenderly. "Laena, I-"

She backed further away, just out of Robb's reach. "Robb, please," she begged. "Just go."

"Can you just hear me out?" he asked, eyes pleading with her.

"Please leave." She turned away from him and stared out the window, watching as droplets of rain raced down the glass of the windowpane. She could feel as Robb drew closer to her, and she held her breath. She shut her eyes and stood frozen in place as she waited for him to leave. Finally, she heard Robb sigh before leaving her alone, the only indication of his departure being the sound of his footsteps growing fainter and fainter as the distance between them grew.

She knew that she had been cold to him. She could have easily reverted to the girl that she had been before she left Winterfell. She could have stayed contently in his arms, she could have kissed him to forget the pain of the memories of King's Landing, she could have opened her heart to him again. But she knew better this time. They were at war, and the amount of uncertainty that followed everyone around was enough to make Laena keep her heart closed to Robb.

Laena turned around then, noticing that Grey Wind still sat before her, head tilted as he looked up at her. "What are you still doing here, boy?" She crouched down in front of him and ran her hand through his soft fur. He had grown even more since she had last seen him, and now he could easily take down the largest man in any given room. She buried her face in his fur, feeling warm and comfortable and so many other feelings that she hadn't felt in so long. She sighed and stood, looking Grey Wind directly in his stony colored eyes. "Go back to Robb. You should be with him." Grey Wind tilted his head and snorted as if to say, ' _You should too_.' She shook her head. "I shouldn't be with him. I can't be that same little girl that put a boy before herself. Not now." Grey Wind licked her face, seemingly agreeing with what she had said. "I can't be broken again. I need to be strong for Sansa and Arya." And Robb. Grey Wind seemed satisfied with her answers and turned around and padded quietly from the room. As Laena watched him go she said to herself, "I was just talking to a direwolf." She shook her head and closed the door before pulling the loaned dress from her body. In just her slip, she crawled into bed and slid beneath the blanket. Sleep didn't greet her immediately, but after staring at the roaring fire in the hearth she eventually drifted to sleep.

The following morning she woke to see that Catelyn had left another dress for her. She reluctantly let the handmaids help her into the dress. She asked multiple times for a tunic and trousers to wear, but her requests were never granted. She ate breakfast with the men and women that had gathered at Riverrun, speaking with her uncle, Galbart Glover, as she munched on her bacon. Galbart had always been a favorite of hers despite hardly seeing him after her mother had passed. She chatted with Smalljon Umber about her escape from King's Landing, commenting about her scar when she used her hand to cover it once she noticed him staring at it. He pulled her hand away from her face and said, "It's a battle scar. Be proud of it." Laena stopped trying to cover the scar when she spoke with others after that. She had been content sitting in the Great Hall and chatting with the others, but when Edmure Tully mentioned that Jaime Lannister was being held as their prisoner Laena slipped from the Great Hall. She pulled the fur cloak that Catelyn had lent her over her shoulders and left the castle, quickly striding towards were Robb's army had made camp. She knew that Jaime Lannister had to be held somewhere within the camp, and she was determined to find him.

She walked through the camp, searching for any sign of the Lannister man, but the only thing that she found were leering men to her left and right. She pulled her cloak tighter around her, trying to cover herself more efficiently than her dress did. She wove around tents and around carts, making her way through the camp slowly. She was close to giving up when she saw him. He was dirty, chained inside of a cage. He looked nothing like the golden knight that had arrived in Winterfell with the King and Queen. She approached him like a wolf would approach their prey, stalking forward with a feral instinct to kill. She came to a stop in front of the cage and waited for him to notice her. She did not speak, she did move. She did nothing but stared angrily. Of course, Jaime Lannister hadn't done anything to her, directly, but he was a Lannister, and she wanted to kill each and every Lannister whose path she crossed. And Jaime Lannister just happened to be crossing her path.

Finally alerted to her presence, Jaime looked up, eyeing her suspiciously. "Well, if it isn't the false wolf," he said nonchalantly, taking in her appearance. "I must say, I preferred you without that nasty little scar."

Laena snorted. "I hear you only prefer you twin, Kingslayer."

"Are you here to interrogate me about that as well? I hate to say it, but Robb Stark's bannermen already beat you to it." His eyes lowered to her scar once again. "How did you get that?" His eyes taunted her as if he already knew the answer to his own question.

"It was a parting gift from your sister when her guards tried to kill me," she spat. She wanted so badly to kill him. It would be easy. His hands were chained together. No one would help him. He was there for the taking.

But if Robb hadn't killed him already then there was a good reason for keeping him alive.

Without another word, she turned to leave. If it hadn't been for Jaime calling after her, "The false wolf doesn't have as strong of a bite as she liked to think so does," she would have kept walking. Instead, she twisted around to face the Kingslayer, hissing, "Don't be mistaken. I will kill you and your family when I get the chance." She crouched down, now at eye level with him. "It would be wise to remember that I am no wolf, nor do I pretend to be one. I am an eagle, and eagles _always_ rise above the rest."

Jaime laughed. "Ah, yes. Noble House Mallister. How is Lord Jason these days? Does he know his daughter is out gallivanting with the men? Very unladylike." He clicked his tongue in feigned disappointment, flashing a mocking grin at her as he shook his head.

Laena smiled wolfishly and replied, "I may not seem like anything but the Lady of Seagard, but I promise you Jaime Lannister that I am much, much more than the girl you see in front of you."

"Are you though? If I can recall correctly, you stayed hidden in your room for days after the engagement between my niece and your beloved Young Wolf was announced. You seem like nothing more than a naïve, lovesick little girl who couldn't have what she wanted, and now you're pouting and making empty threats in an attempt to scare me." He narrowed his eyes and spoke very slowly as he said, "You may be an eagle, but I am a lion, Lady Mallister. Don't forget your place on the food chain."

"And here we are, the lion in a cage and the eagle soaring freely." Her taunt made his smile dropped from his face as he stared at her with an empty expression. "Don't underestimate me, Kingslayer. It might get you killed some day." Her oblique response left him thinking on her words as she strode away from the imprisoned man and returned to the castle. She knew Catelyn would be angry at how muddy she allowed her dress to get, and perhaps Robb would be angry that she had spoken with the Kingslayer, but she didn't really care. She had been so angry since leaving King's Landing, and she hid those feelings behind her guilt. She was able to release some of her anger by threatening Jaime Lannister, but she could feel the tension building in her muscles again.

When she returned to her room she stripped herself of her dirty dress and ordered the handmaid to find her a tunic and trousers. She would not be ignored this time, and she made sure that the girl knew that very well. When she was finally brought the clothes she changed and put on her newly cleaned boots, she left the handmaid staring after her in utter shock as she marched from her room and to the Great Hall.

Men and women alike whispered as she walked past them, muttering about the Lady of Seagard dressing like a man. Only Theon, Robb, and Catelyn weren't surprised to see her in breeches. The others though had only ever seen her dressed like a proper lady when they visited Winterfell (if they did at all). "Where is my sword?" she called to Robb, approaching him. "Your guard took my sword last night when they bound me and brought me here."

Robb looked at her in confusion before turning to one of the men that had been in the group that brought her to Riverrun the previous night. "You tied her up?" he asked angrily.

"M'lord, she fought against us. We had no other choice," he defended.

Robb shook his head and sighed. "Where is her sword?"

"In the armory, m'lord."

Robb glanced at Laena before ordering, "Bring it to her."

Laena waited, unmoving, for the guard to return her blade to her. When he did, she twirled it in her hand, enjoying the weight of the steel in her hand once more. She turned to Robb and bowed her head graciously. She hadn't expected him to stand and approach her, nor did she expect him to ask, "Wanna go a round in the yard? For old time's sake?"

She felt like the little girl of three-and-ten then, laughing loudly and smiling widely as she raced Robb outside to the training yard. Many followed. She could see Greatjon and Smalljon Umber, her uncle Galbart, Dacey and Maege Mormont, and others watching closely as she and Robb drew their swords.

She smirked at Robb, feeling as free and wild as she had in the North. He attack first, using such raw force that his blow forced her back. She countered quickly, giving him little time to react. The sound of steel clashing together again and again sounded throughout the air, and soon the people spectating began cheering. Many cheered for Robb – who wouldn't, he was their King – but she could make out the loud, booming voice of Smalljon and the soft, velvety voice of Dacey cheering her name.

"You've gotten stronger," Robb observed before swinging his blade at her.

"So it would seem." She smirked, blocking another one of Robb's blows. She thrust her sword in his direction, forcing him back and putting him on the defense. She pushed and pushed until he finally drove his blade down onto hers, knocking it to the ground. She raised her hands in defeat as Robb held the tip of his blade to her chest.

"But I'm still stronger." He lowered his blade and retreated to the edge of the yard, being greeted by a crowd of his supporters. Laena picked up her sword and sheathed it. She glanced at Robb, not expecting to see him staring back at her with pride in his eyes. She smiled softly and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen from her braid behind her ear.

"Seems like the Starks trained you well." Laena looked over her shoulder to see Dacey Mormont grinning at her. Laena had heard of the Mormonts briefly, hearing stories of how the women of Bear Island were just as fierce as any man. Dacey looked like most Northern women. In truth, she looked much like Laena, though Laena's bone structure favored her father's side, while Dacey's sharp cheekbones and pointed chin favored the North. "I say you deserve a horn of ale in celebration of a well fought fight." The Northern girl clapped her hand to Laena's shoulder and led her inside to the Great Hall where Robb and most of the others had already retreated.

Laena remained in the Great Hall, drinking and laughing – even dancing once with Smalljon after he threw her over his shoulder and carried her away from the tables – and she was starting to feel like the girl she had been only months ago before everything began to shatter and go to hell. Laena stayed in the Great Hall well into the evening, eating pieces of chicken off of her plate every now and then. She mostly spent her time talking with Dacey and Smalljon, but occasionally she would cross the room to speak to Catelyn. Though she didn't speak to Robb, the few times that she made eye contact with him she could feel it, feel the familiar tug of her heart telling her to go to him.

She would retreat back to her seat beside Dacey then, trying to ignore the bubbling of the feelings she was trying so hard to forget. She listened intently as Smalljon told a story of a hunt he had gone on with his father shortly before Robb called the banners, but she wasn't really hearing his words. She was distracting herself, and it was working marvelously. The thought of Robb hardly plagued her mind, and she felt content. As it grew later and the sun had disappeared well over the horizon she spent her time trading tales with Dacey and Smalljon, teasing her brother about the way he stared at a tall blond serving girl, or sat with her father when he wasn't with Robb and the other members of his war council. By the end of the night, as everyone was starting to put down their goblets and wobble to their beds, Jason returned to his children with news that everyone would be marching south at dawn; their stay in Riverrun was over.


	8. Chapter 8

Laena wasn't entirely fond of sleeping in a tent, but she didn't mind sharing with Catelyn. As some of the only women traveling with the army – beside Dacey and Maege Mormont – it only seemed appropriate that they would share a tent. Laena quickly learned that Catelyn worried about her children more than she had initially thought; Laena would often see her praying to the Mother to keep her children safe late at night, and, wanting to give her foster mother her privacy, Laena would vacate the tent and wander around the camp. Some nights she would join Dacey and Smalljon around the fire and drink with them until she could barely keep her eyes open. By the time she would return to her tent Catelyn would be in her cot, back turned to her, and breathing steadily. The nights that she didn't seek out Dacey and Smalljon she would find Patrek and have him tell her stories of their childhood together. She always slept soundly on those nights. The rare night that she would choose solitude over companionship Laena would find herself sitting alone at the edge of camp, staring up at the sky as she lay on her back. Those nights she would let thoughts of what could have been plague her mind. _What if her mother had survived? What if Lord Eddard had never been made Hand of the King? What if Robert Baratheon never got so drunk that he got himself killed by a boar?_ Those nights she had nightmares. More often than not, she would watch over and over again as Ser Ilyn Payne stood towering above the man who had treated her as his own daughter. She would watch, frozen in place, as the sword slashed through the air and through her foster father's neck. She would wake up crying softly then, glancing over at Catelyn to be sure she hadn't woken the other woman. She didn't want to have to explain to Catelyn what had caused her tears.

To make matters worse, her lack of sleep was beginning to show.

"You look like shit, little sister," Patrek had teased as she exited her tent late in the morning. She had hardly slept the night before. When sleep did finally greet her she was waken soon after, panting and trying to erase the memories that played over and over again in head. She glared and Patrek and strode past him, hands clutched at her sides. Patrek's legs were much longer than hers, and it didn't take him much effort to keep up with her. "You sure you're okay?" His voice was no longer teasing. Instead, concern was all she heard in his tone.

She shook her head. "I'm fine, big brother. I just need to hit something."

Patrek laughed and playfully pushed her, earning himself another steely glare. "C'mon, we're all over here." He turned abruptly, leaving her standing and staring after him curiously.

After a moment she ran after him, asking, "Who's _we_?" He looked over his shoulder and grinned at her, but he did not speak nor falter in his steps. "Patrek?" Laena whined, slumping her shoulders as she begrudgingly followed him blindly to whatever it was that he was leading her towards. They passed by tent after tent, some occupied but most having been empty since dawn. When they were no longer surrounded by tents on either side, Laena saw what Patrek had been leading her towards.

Men cheered and jeered all the same as they stood in a large group, forming a circle. She could hear wood hitting wood and she smiled. _Practice swords_. She grabbed Patrek's hand pulled him through the crowd; her small size made it easy to squeeze through the small spaces, but Patrek had a slightly more difficult time. When they finally emerged on the inside ring of the circle Laena grinned, her eyes squinting she was grinning so widely. Dacey Mormont stood in the center of the circle as she stared down a young man – a boy, really – that was unfamiliar to Laena; the emblem on his jacket indicated he served Lord Manderly. Dacey made quick work of the scrawny man, most likely a squire who had bit off more than he could chew when he challenged the Lady of Bear Island. Dacey leaned down to help the boy up and took the wooden sword from his hand before she shooed him to the edge of the circle, the boy blending into the crowd as if he had never stood within the clearing.

Dacey's eyes landed on Laena then, and a smile broke out on her lips. "Lady Laena," she greeted before tossing the practice sword to her. "Well?" Dacey asked expectantly when Laena raised a brow at her.

Patrek gave her a shove. "Go, little sister. You said you wanted to hit something."

She laughed at her brother, grey eyes twinkling with amusement, before turning her gaze on the raven haired girl before her. "Ready, Laena?" Dacey asked, and with one small nod of her head, Dacey charged, raising the wooden blade above her head. Laena gave the blade a practiced twirl in her hand before blocking Dacey's attack. Dacey kept pushing forward, not relenting a single bit. She swung left, then right, and then left again, aiming with incredible precision at Laena shoulder, ribs, and hips. But Laena was able to match Dacey's every move. The loud crack of the wooden blades meeting one another echoed around them. It was all that Laena could hear. She couldn't hear Dacey's playful taunts; she couldn't hear Patrek shouting maneuvers at her; she couldn't hear the men as they roared in approval at the two women fighting in the center of their circle. They went back and forth, trading blow after blow after blow until Dacey backed away, breathing heavily. Laena saw that as her opportunity to charge forward, and her actions took Dacey by surprise. Laena's wooden blade came into contact with the ribs on her left side, and Dacey groaned before smiling at Laena. "Nice work, kid." Dacey blocked Laena's next attack, but Laena used her free arm to knock her elbow into Dacey's side, throwing her off balance. Laena knocked Dacey's flailing practice sword to the side and held her own to the taller girl's chest. Dacey looked down at Laena in shock and let her shoulders slump in defeat. "I'm impressed," she commented once Laena moved the wood away from her.

Laena smiled proudly. "You should be."

"That's my little sister!" She hardly had any time to react to Patrek's words when his arms snaked around her waist and he hefted her up, squeezing her tightly before setting her firmly on the ground. "I thought you were going to get your ass kicked, little sister."

Laena glared at him and stated bluntly, "I told you I wanted to hit something." She glanced over at Dacey, who gave her a wide grin before picking up her wooden sword and preparing to fight the next person who stepped into the circle. Looking over Dacey's shoulder, her eyes briefly met Robb's. Had he been standing there the entire time? He gave her a warm smile before turning away to speak to some of his men. She watched him, admired the way her greeted every man by name and asked about their family.

"Laena?" Patrek's eyes followed hers and landed on Robb. He let out a muffed sighed. "It's war, Laena. Don't let yourself get too caught up in your emotions."

Laena turned and slapped his shoulder, looking at him angrily. "Fuck off, Patrek." She turned and stormed away from him. Patrek didn't know anything. He was a stupid boy that didn't understand the first thing about emotions. Gods know she had felt her fair share of emotions over the last year. She didn't know where she was going, but her feet seemed to have a destination in mind. After striding through the length of the camp, Laena found herself slipping into the sparse spattering of trees that lay on the edge of their camp. It had been awhile since she walked between trees – her escape from King's Landing didn't count – and the cool breeze that rushed over her, releasing the tension in her muscles as she took a deep breath and enjoyed the sounds of nature around her. Despite the warmer air of the Riverlands, when she closed her eyes she could pretend that she was in the Wolfswood again, almost as if she had never left Winterfell.

But when she opened her eyes the land around her was rich and lush, too lush for the North.

She plopped herself down upon a rock and sat with her elbows on her knees, staring towards the encampment of the Northern Army. She watched as men moved about between the tents and young squires trailed after the men they served like young pups trailed after their mother. She sighed, wishing she had thought to bring a book with her. She would soon grow bored of watching the activity from afar and her bum would grow sore and tingly from sitting atop the rock for too long. When that time came, she stood and brushed the back of her trousers off before returning to the camp, hoping that she would be able to sneak into her tent before anyone would notice her and try to strike up a conversation.

She tried to pass the time before the nightly meal by reading in her tent, but more often than not her mind would wander to that small smile that Robb had given her earlier that day; it was so similar to the ones they used to share in Winterfell and it left her with a sense of longing. Eventually, she set her book down after marking her place and sought out her father. He sat around a small fire, surrounded by men from Seagard that Laena felt she was obligated to know, however, no name came to mind as she smiled at them. She smiled stiffly at her brother before sitting beside him and picking at the rabbit that was on the wooden plate in his lap. He slapped her hand away playfully, to which she responded by leaning into him a little too forcefully, shoving him to the side. He laughed then, and Laena was relieved that, despite her earlier outburst, no bitter feelings lingered between them. Halfway through her meal – actually Patrek's meal – her father stood and left them with only a warm smile given to his children and a parting nod to his men.

"Where's Father going?" Laena asked. She watched as he walked purposefully through the camp and further into the darkness until he disappeared behind the men who littered the camp, drinking and eating and laughing; the men who were enjoying every moment they had before the next battle.

"War Council meeting, probably," Patrek guessed, shrugging as his teeth tore into a particularly tough piece of meat. "He's been spending a lot of time with Lord Bolton and Lord Umber trying to figure out what the best next move would be. Do we march for King's Landing or do we follow Tywin Lannister's forces and engage them? I know Father doesn't want to pursue Tywin, but the others do." Laena nodded and focused on the flame of the fire in front of her. The flames rose high for such a small fire and the flames licked the meat that was being roasted over the fire. Was it really even being debated if they should march on King's Landing as soon as possible? Sansa was in King's Landing, left to the mercy of the Lannisters and that piece of shit, Joffrey. Laena doubted that they were being generous in what small amount of mercy they had. Robb had to be aware that every moment Sansa was in King's Landing she was in danger, he just had to.

She sat there silently for only a moment longer before standing and walking in the same direction that her father had disappeared in. She wasn't sure where the War Council met, but she doubted it would be hard to find. She only had to look for the large Stark banner that waved in the sky and it would lead her to a tent that was most likely being guarded.

It didn't take her too long to find it. She was barred from going in, like she had expected, so she stood staring at the guard impatiently. He was hardly older than her, and he watched her nervously, his eyes flitting up to meet hers every so often before he would avert them, raise his chin, and puff up his chest. Laena nearly snorted the first time he did this. With a raised brow and an amused smile on her lips, she watched him repeat this action three more times before the Northern Lords and her father filed out of the large tent after a young, dirtied man was escorted out by two more guards. Robb and Theon were the only ones who remained in the tent then. Laena ignored the questioning look her father gave her and strode past the guard and into the tent. The Gods, it would seem had blessed her with good timing, for as she drew closer and closer to the two boys – men now – that she was raised with she heard Theon say, "The Lannisters are going to reject your terms, you know."

She came to halt in front of them as Robb sighed and sullenly replied, "Well of course they are," as if there would be no possibility of reasoning with the lions. Which there wasn't, every man and woman in the Seven Kingdoms knew that. Laena raised a brow at him, very curious about what his terms had even been. Gods, she wished she would be allowed to sit on his War Council. She had almost no use when it came to strategizing for a war, but it didn't deter her from wanting to be involved.

Theon frowned at her, making Laena smile sweetly at him. He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Robb. "You can fight them in the field as long as you like, but we won't beat them until you take King's Landing."

Laena agreed with him, but she knew there was more to what Theon was saying. "What are you getting at, Theon?" she asked skeptically, glancing up at him with narrowed eyes.

"We can't take King's Landing without ships," he added. Glancing sideways at her, he continued, "My father has ships and men who know how to sail them."

Laena scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You have to be kidding me," she muttered, shaking her head and lowering her gaze to the ground.

Laena could sense Robb's eyes on, and she turned her head to look over her shoulder. She didn't want Robb to see the look of utter distrust on her face. He sighed and responded to Theon. "Men who fought my father."

 _And mine,_ she wanted to add but decided against it.

"Men who fought King Robert to free themselves from the yoke of the South." Laena snorted loud enough for both of them to hear then. Laena turned her back then, not trusting herself to be polite like the lady she was supposed to be if she opened her mouth. "Just like you're doing now," she heard Theon say to Robb. There was a moment of silence that hung between them until Theon spoke again. "I'm his only living son. He'll listen to me. I know he will." Laena bit down on her lip to stop the insult that was bubbling to the surface, threatening to roll off of her tongue as easily as saying her own name. "I know I'm not a Stark, but your father raised me to be an honorable man. We can avenge him together."

Laena bit down on her lip even harder when she heard Robb agree to Theon's request. The taste of blood was on her tongue as Theon stalked past her and towards what she could only assume was his own tent. Her eyes followed him, contempt and anger consuming her. "Laena." Robb put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face him.

"How could you?" she bit out, eyes searching his desperately for an answer.

"We can trust him, Laena." Robb dropped his hand from her shoulder and retreated further into the tent, leaning against the table as his arms folded in front of him. "You know we can trust him. We grew up with him."

"That does not change who he is, _Your Grace_." Robb flinched at the use of his title. Laena never called him by anything but Robb, even in the company of others. "He is a Greyjoy, and the Greyjoys are not to be trusted."

Robb looked up at her with disappointed eyes. "We need his father's ships. You know that as well as I do."

"My father has ships," she offered, taking a small step forward.

While that may have been true, Robb shook his head. "He doesn't have enough. Six longships and two war galleys is not enough."

Laena came even closer, her grey eyes wide and pleading as she reached for Robb's hand. It was the first contact that she had initiated since before she left Winterfell, but the meaning behind it was lost behind her pleading words. "Send a raven to my cousin. He may be willing to spare some ships. Please, Robb. Do not let Theon return to his father."

Robb pondered her words for moment before asking, "Which cousin?"

"My grandmother's nephew, Lord Redwyne."

Laena felt utterly disappointed when Robb immediately shook his head. "House Redwyne is sworn to House Tyrell. He'll never offer us any of his ships as long as Margaery Tyrell is to be the next Queen."

She muttered out, "You can't trust the Greyjoys," feeling defeated.

"Laena!" He raised his voice at her and she jumped back, dropping his hand like it burned her skin. He sighed and lowered his voice as he said, "You need to put your petty family rivalry aside. We need their ships and nothing is going to change that."

She narrowed her eyes, feeling betrayed by the man that she thought knew her the best. "Petty?" she asked in disbelief. "I would have thought that you, of all people, would have understood." She shook her head and looked his directly in the eyes as she said, "You don't know what it's like to have your home attacked the way that I do. While you were safe in Winterfell during Greyjoy's Rebellion, I was in Seagard, fearing for my life as Ironborn climbed over the walls and rushed into the city." Her hands curled into fists at her side and she blinked, shuddering at the memory. "I have few memories of my childhood at Seagard, but I will never forget cowering in a small room with my mother as men fought just outside the walls of the castle. Those men would not have care that I was only a child of five. They would have killed me simply because of my name had they managed to enter the castle and find us. I was taught that at a young age, and such knowledge does not leave a child. I was prepared to die that day."

Robb reached forward, trying to take her hand in his. She moved further away and was met by a pained, "Laena."

"Patrek was had only just celebrated his twelfth nameday, but he stood with a sword in his hand, ready to protect my mother and I if anyone were to breach the castle walls and find us." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. Her eyes landed on Robb and her earlier anger reappeared. "So tell me, Your Grace; is it still a petty family rivalry?" Robb only blinked at her in response. "Mallister children are raised with the understanding that it is our duty to keep the Ironborn in line, and it is for good reason."

Robb sighed. "That does not change the fact that we still need his ships, Laena."

She huffed in annoyance. "You don't understand. There is no Mallister in Seagard to stop another rebellion if Balon Greyjoy decides he wants to rise up against the crown once again. You don't only risk losing my trust by doing this, but you also risk losing the trust of my father and brother as well."

Robb turned and planted his palms on the table as he pretended to look over the map that was laid out on the table. "It has to be done, Laena."

She swallowed hard and let out a shaky breath. She wanted to scream at him, beg him to reconsider. She wanted to convince him that they could take King's Landing without the ships, she wanted to make him see the danger that was involved with trusting Balon Greyjoy. She wanted, but she knew that he would not get him to see reason. Instead, she turned and left him in silence, cursing herself for ever thinking that she could change his mind.

She slept restlessly that night, the memories of Ironborn attacking Seagard invading her dreams. Catelyn looked at her with concern the following morning, but Laena merely smiled reassuringly at her and Catelyn left her to herself after hugging her tightly, an action that left Laena staring after the older woman as she left the tent.

She didn't dress in trousers and a tunic that day. Instead, she wore one of the only dresses that she had begrudgingly brought with her when they departed Riverrun. It was dull, blue and boring, but Laena had grown tired of wearing filthy clothes. She had taken her dirty clothes to the river and washed away the dirt and sweat that seemed to be ingrained in the cloth; she scrubbed for a long while before she thought them clean. When she returned to the camp, she was careful to avoid her father, her brother, and even more, Robb. She stayed tucked away in her tent and read until she eventually drifted to sleep, head resting on the open book that lay discarded on the table. She probably would have slept longer if that boy guard from last night hadn't cleared his throat loudly and startled her from her sleep.

She had to be quite the sight – drool trailing down her face, marks on her cheek from where she lay on the pages of her book, and hair an absolute mess – but the glare that she gave the boy seemed to keep his attention squarely on her eyes. He gulped, she smiled. "My lady, His Grace," he stuttered over his words as Laena cocked her head to the side, still glaring, "would like you to join him for dinner."

Laena frowned. "Tell _His Grace_ that he can take his offer and shove it-"

"He wasn't asking, my lady," the boy cut her off, standing tall know and looking down his nose at her. It was similar to the show he had put on for her last night. "I'm to escort you to his tent where you'll wait for him to join you."

"He can't even be bothered to greet me when I arrive," she muttered under her breath but stood anyway. She smoothed her skirts and tried to tame her hair before picking the book up off of the table and holding it to her front, clasping both hands over the book protectively. She wordlessly followed the boy – he had to be Robb's new squire, who else could it possibly be? – to the largest tent within the encampment. The sun was starting to set and the braziers that littered the camp had been lit already. She was actually surprised that she had slept for so long considered the small amount of sleep she had gotten the night before. When they reached Robb's tent the boy lifted the flap and motioned for her to enter with her arm. The flap lowered behind her, a small rush of air licking at her ankles as it closed. She glanced over her shoulder; the boy hadn't followed her in, so she was left alone in Robb's tent. She'd rather that Robb just left her alone completely. Unless he had brought her there to apologize to her and say that she was right, the Greyjoys shouldn't be trusted, she didn't see the need to spend any time with him at all. She would leave in the morning and ride north to the Wall. She would bring Jon home. They needed him (or really she needed him, but he would be useful to Robb and his army, too). Jon would have agreed with her last night, and maybe if he had been in the Riverlands with them rather than at the Wall Robb would have been swayed and would have thought better than to trust the Greyjoys.

She stopped her train of thought. It would only make her angry and she wasn't in the mood to have a shouting match with Robb the moment he entered the tent. Instead, she sat at the table and opened her book to the page that she had been reading when she fell asleep. It was easy to get lost within the text on each page, summoning images of each moment in her mind. Some images were pleasant, but most of them were the things of children's nightmares. She wanted so badly to tear her eyes away from the page when the words spoke of the horrors that occurred at Lannister hands, but she was engrossed in the history of it all. So engrossed, in fact, that she hadn't even heard Robb enter the tent and approach her. Despite her normally being so aware of her surroundings, she wasn't aware of Robb until he sat in the chair across from her and asked, "Where'd you get that book?"

She gasped, startled, and looked up at him with widened grey eyes. She took a deep breath when she saw that it was only Robb and closed her book. "I may have _borrowed_ it from your grandfather's library," she admitted sheepishly. "I swear I'm going to return it, but it's the first one of its kind that I've come across."

He leaned over the table, trying to get a closer look at the tome that she had taken from his grandfather. "What is it?" The book was one that he was unfamiliar with, though Laena knew that he wasn't familiar with very many books. While she spent her nights reading, he spent his with Theon and Jon, getting into all sorts of trouble.

"The Fall of House Targaryen," she stated, reading the title off as if she had been there and witnessed it firsthand. She sighed and gave him a weak smile. "I didn't even think that there had been any books written about it yet. Sure, there are songs aplenty, but no full texts except for this one."

Robb snorted, making Laena look up at him in shock and something close to anger. "I don't understand your fascination with that family."

"My grandmother used to tell me stories about the Targaryens when I was a young girl. She was loyal to the Targaryens until her death." She smiled at the memory of her father's mother. She had always been fond of the woman, even after her death. "She may have hated Aerys, but she believed that Rhaegar would have been a good, just king. She wept for days when she heard that he had been killed by Robert Baratheon on the Trident."

"It was because of the Targaryens that I never got to meet my Uncle Brandon, Aunt Lyanna, and Grandfather," Robb commented. Laena could feel his eyes on her, watching her closely to see how she would react. When she remained silent, he added, "They deserved the deaths they were given."

Laena's eyes snapped up to his, and he flinched when he saw the pained expression in the grey depths. "No child deserves to die the way that Rhaenys and Aegon Targaryen did. Neither did Elia Martell." She pursed her lips and took a shaky breath. "You know, my Uncle Jeffory went to King's Landing with your Uncle Brandon. He met the same fate as you Uncle Brandon. Yet, I blame no one but King Aerys and those who stood by as they watched my uncle burn to death. I do not blame Rhaegar Targaryen. I do not blame Elia Martell and her children. I do not blame the Mad King's other children. Their deaths were unjust and abominable." She raised her eyes to meet his, narrowing them to the point that Robb could no longer see the flames of the brazier reflecting in them. "You shouldn't forget that had your Uncle Brandon survived, you might have never existed."

She watched as Robb averted his gaze, conceding to her statement. "I still don't believe Rhaegar would have been a good king. Good kings wouldn't steal a young girl in the dead of the night, rape her, and keep her from her family." Their eyes met again, but this time both pair – blue and grey – held no noticeable emotion. "Rhaegar's actions started the war."

Laena shook her head in disagreement. "I like to think that Lyanna ran away with him."

"Why?" His voice was slightly raised and he sounded angry, but his face remained emotionless.

"Because people do stupid things when they're in love, Robb." A flash of _something_ crossed his face, but Laena didn't dwell on it. "Lyanna didn't love Robert Baratheon. I don't know who would with the way that he carried on, drinking and whoring like he did – some people at court claimed he had nearly twenty bastards, maybe more – but when Rhaegar Targaryen named your aunt Queen of Love and Beauty I think that maybe she saw a chance to actually love someone. No one really knows what happened for sure, but do you really think your aunt, after what everyone has told you about her, would run away with a man and lie with him if she wasn't willing? Think about it, Robb. Lyanna was a fierce young woman who did what she wanted, not what others wanted her to do." Laena reached for him then, placing her hand gently over his. "They were in love, Robb."

Their eyes locked on one another, and she smiled warmly at him while he turned his hand to grasp hers, his thumb trailing soothingly over the back of her hand. "Father never liked talking about Lyanna no matter how much we asked about her."

"Mine did, briefly. He said she was the beauty of the north, and that my Uncle Ethan – he had been your Uncle Brandon's squire – was hopelessly in love with her." Laena frowned. "I never got to meet him either. He went south with your father to the Tower of Joy and never returned."

Robb stood then and came to her side, kneeling before her to wipe the stray tear that she didn't even know was trailing down her face. "I'm hopelessly in love with _you_ ," he admitted, searching her eyes for a sign that she loved him too. But of course she did. She never stopped loving him even after he became engaged to Myrcella and she forced to go to King's Landing. Robb's hand cupped her cheek and the other rested on her waist. "I think I have been since the day you came to Winterfell." He pressed his lips softly to hers, and it felt so good and so familiar and so incredibly long due that she smiled against his lips. He pulled away and laughed, taking her hand in his to pull her up with him.

"I was eight years old, Robb," she laughed.

"Aye, and I was nine. I still remember the first night you spent in Winterfell. You, Jon, Theon, and I played in the Godswood after dinner and we got into that fight under the Godswood." He smiled at the memory. "I think that was when I decided I loved you."

"You mean when I pulled your hair?" she asked, eyes crinkled and cheeks flushed as she laughed. Robb nodded and Laena laughed again. "You were such a little shit back then. You kind of still are, honestly."

Robb smiled at her cheekily. "You were, too!" he accused teasingly. "You bit me!"

"Because I had no idea it was you that was dragging me under that tree!"

They laughed together before Robb's expression suddenly grew serious. "You know, when Father told me that you would be coming to live in Winterfell I thought you were going to be just like Sansa, but you weren't. You liked fighting, you hated being proper, and you never wanted to wear another dress after you started dressing like a boy." His hand stroked her cheek, his lips turned up slightly, and absolute adoration filled his eyes. "Gods, Laena."

They stood staring at one another, Laena up at him and Robb down at her. (When had he gotten so tall?) Laena bit her lip and pulled him closer. She stood on the tips of her toes as she reached up to kiss him again. Though she didn't want to admit it, she had missed him. Even after she tried to bury all of her memories of him in the back of her mind, she still missed him. There was an uncertainty, a slight hesitation in their kiss, but once Laena's hand trailed up his chest and around his neck it was almost as if they were back in Winterfell, stealing secret kisses in the Godswood. Robb gripped Laena's hips, pulling her further into him and leaned down to trail his lips across her jaw and down her neck. As if on instinct, Laena's fingers began working to remove Robb's doublet and tunic, and soon, as his lips pressed firmly against hers, he stood in only his leather trousers. Her dress followed, leaving her in only her loose white slip.

"Robb," she breathed against the bare skin of his chest as his hands curled into the fabric of her slip and pulled it up over her body. She lifted her arms so he could remove it completely, and soon she was completely bare from the waist up. She shivered and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Don't." Robb gripped her arms and moved them away from her body as his eyes drank in the sight of her figure. One of his hands trailed up her waist and brushed the underside of her breast as his other hand toyed with the edge of her smallclothes. She immediately felt the heat building low in her stomach, and she was hungry for more. She arched into his touch while she pulled at the laces of his trousers, pushing them down over his hips. Her fingers danced lightly across the planes of his stomach and over his hips, trailing slowly across the bare skin. Laena's fingers went lower and lower, making him groan against her neck. His hands grasped her hips, guiding her backwards until the backs of her legs felt the soft furs that covered his bed, and soon she was being lowered onto them, Robb hovering above her. He nipped at her neck while his fingers hooked onto the edges of her smallclothes and pulled them far enough down her legs for her to kick them off.

Laena felt strange touching him so intimately, though nearly a year ago it felt natural. It was almost as if they we rediscovering each other's bodies after being separated for so long. Robb's hands trailed over every curve and every edge of her body, and Laena's hands instinctively went below his waist to grip him in her hands. He groaned as he twitched in her hand before lowering himself to his elbows so that their chests were pressed against one another. One of his hands twisted into her loose hair that was splayed around her like a halo while the other snaked between their bodies, touching Laena at her center. She closed her eyes and arched into his touch, and Laena could feel Robb smile against the skin of her shoulder. His smile faded when she moved her hands up to his face, pulling him up to eye level with her before she slanted her lips over his, bit at his bottom lip when he pressed a finger into her. His smile was back then, and he kissed her more fiercely but still gently, using his tongue to pry her lips open to him. Her hands left his cheeks then, raking through his curls before gripping onto them tightly, arching into him once again and moaning into his mouth. He pressed a second finger into her as his tongue danced with hers, and she tugged at his curls even harder this time as Robb curled his fingers within her.

"More," she breathed out, pressing her bare chest in his. When Robb tried to add a third finger she pushed his hand away. "No." She pulled away from Robb and glanced at him with pleading eyes. "Please, Robb." She wasn't sure if he had understood what she was asking of him, but when he sighed and sat back on his knees, running a hand through his hair nervously, she knew that he had.

"We can't do that, Laena. You know why we can't."

The Starks and their damn honor. "Robb, we're at war. Every day there's a possibility that we may not live to see the next." She sat up and reached out to him, brushing her hand over his arm and trailing it down to his hand. "This isn't about my honor anymore, Robb. Or yours, for that matter. Everyone who hasn't heard otherwise from you or I already thinks we've lain together. Please, Robb." She gave his hand a light squeeze. "I want to."

He sat staring absent-mindedly at her, and she could see the inner battle that was taking place behind his azure eyes. She squeezed his hand one more time, and that was all it took to bring Robb back to her. She lay back on the bed, her head resting softly on the pillow, and Robb crawled over her, placing soft, barely there kisses on her stomach and breasts and neck and jaw and a final one on her lips before he pulled away slightly to look in her eyes. "You're absolutely sure you want to do this?" he whispered.

She nodded shyly. "I'm sure," she replied just as quiet as he had asked.

"There's no going back once we do this, Laena," he noted. Laena could hear the hesitancy in his voice, and he knew that she wasn't trying to talk her out of it. He was trying to reassure himself.

"I know," she replied, using her hands on the back of his neck to return his lips to hers. Their kisses were slow this time, more deliberate. Robb had never kissed her like that, not even in the earliest days of their relationship. Their kisses had always been rough and rushed, and they would always leave Laena's lips swollen and sometimes bruised when they parted. She sighed against his mouth and curled her hands around his shoulders.

They kissed like that for a while longer until Robb whispered against her lips, "I'm sorry if I hurt you." He pushed into her then and Laena squeezed her eye shut at the sharp twinge of brief pain. After a moment Laena felt nothing but pressure as Robb filled her. He was still above her, but when she opened her eyes and looked into his he started moving above her slowly, back and forth, pressing into again and again and again. Laena arched into him and moved her hips to meet his thrusts. Her legs curled around his waist, allowing him to press even further into him. She trailed one foot down his thigh and calf while the other remained hooked around his body, beckoning him further into her. A moan escaped her mouth and her nails raked down his back. He groaned against her skin and trailed a hand down her side, bringing it between their bodies to press on her mound, eliciting another loud moan from her. She jerked her hips into him. Her toes curled tightly and her breath was coming faster and faster. She could feel her lower stomach start to coil and white spots started to appear in her vision. She arched her back again as the pressure built higher and higher, her head rolling back and her mouth dropping open. She lost control then, writhing below Robb as she wave after wave of pleasure crashed down on her. Her eyes closed as she rode it out, her entire body relaxing while Robb still moved above her. His lips latched onto hers, and soon he was groaning into her mouth and she could feel the heat of his seed spilling into her.

Robb brushed a hand through her hair lazily before he rolled off of her and lay at her side. Laena turned to her side and curled an arm under her head while her other hand stroked Robb's cheek gently. "Are you okay?" he asked, his concern clear in his voice and his eyes.

Laena smiled lethargically. "I'm perfect," she murmured as she closed her eyes. Robb moved slightly and pulled the furs over their bodies to protect them from the chilling air as the sky outside of the tent grew darker and darker. She opened her eyes and stared at him worriedly. "How are you?" Laena knew that Eddard had raised his children to value honor above all else, and she knew that their actions would way on Robb's conscious for quite some time; he had taken her maidenhead, but yet she wasn't his wife.

"I'm fine." His fingers trailed across her cheek before brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face. "I'm sorry for last night, Laena." Laena raised an eyebrow at him. "My mother agreed that we shouldn't trust Balon Greyjoy, but I've already sent you father to escort Theon to Seagard. I'm sorry."

"Can we please not talk about that right now?" He nodded, propped himself on his elbow and looked down at her. "I just want to lay here with you before…" She trailed off. Before what? Before she left to go north? Before either of them were killed in this fucking war? There were too many possibilities.

They laid in silence for a while. Laena was tucked into Robb's side, dragging her finger lazily over his chest in patterns. Robb stared at the candle behind her while his thumb rubbed back and forth on the skin of her hip. Finally, Robb spoke, breaking the tranquil silence. "I'm going to marry you when the war is over, I swear it." He moved his hand to her face, cupping her cheek.

Laena furrowed her brow and glanced up at him. "Robb, you swore to Lord Frey that you would marry one of his daughters. You can't break your vow to him."

Robb frowned, and his thumb trailed distractedly over the scare across her lip. "I told you years ago that I was going to marry you. He'll understand."

She sighed and removed his hand. "Robb," she began, "there was never an agreement between our houses. A vow between the two of us means absolutely nothing compared to the vow between you and Walder Frey."

"A promise between us means everything, Laena," he said with such sincerity that Laena could feel a tugging at her heart. Robb cupped her face between his hands and whispered, "You'll be my wife, Laena, and the mother of my children."

Laena could feel a hot tear streaking down her face, and with on swipe of his thumb, Robb wiped it from her face. "It can't happen, Robb. You know that it can't. You need Walder Frey's men."

"We can have someone else marry one of his daughters. My uncle, your brother, hell even Bran could marry one of the younger ones!"

She sighed and bit her lip as she could feel more tears beginning to form. "He wants one of his daughters to be Queen. My brother can't make a woman a queen. Your uncle can't make a woman a queen. Bran could make a girl a Princess, but that won't be good enough for Walder Frey. He's ambition, Robb. If he heard that you broke your vow to marry me he would make sure we both payed for it." She sniffled, not wanting to accept what she was about to say next. "You'll marry one of Walder Frey's daughters, and I… I probably will never marry." She swallowed. "And I'm okay with that," she lied and smiled convincingly enough that Robb would believe her.

"Laena," he began, but he never got the words out that he intended to say. Instead, Laena spoke.

"I'm going to ride north soon," she told him. "I'm going to go to the Wall and bring Jon back. He's needed here with us more than he's needed at the Wall."

"No."

Laena turned to him, her mouth gaping in surprise. "What?"

"You're not going north. I'll send someone else if you really think we need Jon, but I will not allow you to go."

She raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "You won't _allow_ me?"

Robb sighed. "Let's not do this now, Laena. We can talk about it in the morning." He pulled the furs higher over their shoulders and laid his head on the pillow, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him.

It was clear to Laena that he wasn't going to discuss it any further with her, so she relaxed against him. She didn't sleep though. She rested her head against him and stared at the way his chest rose and fell with every breath. She stayed under the furs with Robb until all that she could hear beyond the walls of the tent was the howling of the wind. She carefully removed herself from his embrace and picked up her discarded clothing, pulling each item on haphazardly before scrawling ' _I'm sorry'_ on a ripped piece of parchment. She left it on the table, along with the book she had been reading, and left, returning to her tent. She changed out of her dress and into her tunic and trousers before clasping her cloak around her shoulders. She gather a small bag with bread, fruit and nuts and blew out the candle. She exited her tent for the last time and crept through the camp, locating and mounting the black mare that her father had gifted her before they left Riverrun.

Laena left in the dead of the night, riding north.


	9. Chapter 9

Forty-four days after she left Robb in the middle of the night, the walls of Winterfell appeared on the horizon.

She had never been so happy to see her second home, and she pushed her still unnamed mare harder and harder to reach the castle before the sun disappeared completely from the sky. When she reached the castle her legs were aching and she was dirty and tired, but she was so ecstatic to finally be back in Winterfell, the home she thought she would never see again a few moons ago. She had sent no word ahead, so they weren't awaiting her arrival. Instead, after she dismounted her horse, a guard approached her with his hand on the hilt of his sword and asked her to identify herself. She hadn't even needed to give him her name. She removed her hood and turned to him, and his eyes lit up in recognition immediately. "Lady Laena!" he exclaimed. He hastily escorted her into the castle and to the Great Hall.

When she entered the room a hush fell upon its occupants. Bran looked at her disbelief, Maester Luwin pursed his lips and glanced at her curiously, and some of the guards who had the opportunity to eat with the young lords stared at her as if she were a ghost. Rickon, however, leapt from his seat and rushed to her, engulfing her in a tight hug. He had grown since she'd last seen him – his arms wrapped around her waist now rather than her hips. He pulled away from her and looked up at her, his brow furrowed and his lips turned downward. "Laena, what are you doing here?"

Laena crouched down, balancing on the balls of her feet as she pulled Rickon into another tight hug. "I've missed you, Rickon." She stood then and approached Bran. She smiled softly as she sat next to him and brushed a hand over his hair – it was longer now – before hugging him tightly as well. She held on to him for a moment longer than she had held Rickon, convincing herself that he was really there. "You woke up," she commented. When she left Winterfell, he had still been bedridden and he had shown no signs of waking up soon. She pulled away from him and glanced around the room, searching for the small girl that she hadn't seen in over two moons. "Where's Arya?" she asked when she found no sign of her.

"Isn't she with you?" Bran asked, confused. He turned to look at Maester Luwin, though he only received a shrug and just as confused look in response.

"She never arrived in Winterfell? She was supposed to be brought her by a man of the Night's Watch." Suddenly feeling panicked, Laena stood and ran and hand through her already unruly hair. "I- I need to send a raven. She should have arrived her days ago." Maester Luwin stood then and led her from the room, Rickon following closely behind with a woman that she didn't recognize carrying Bran. "She should be here. She's supposed to be here!" She was growing more and more frantic, and the guilt started to fill her entire being. She was supposed to keep Sansa and Arya safe. Now, Sansa was in the capital being held captive by King Joffrey and the Lannisters. Arya was Gods know where. She had failed them, and she'd never felt more ashamed of herself than she did now.

"You'll find her. I know you will," Rickon assured her, holding her hand as they walked. She smiled in response; Laena was grateful for the littlest Stark.

In the candle light and with Rickon and Bran sitting beside her and Maester Luwin looking over her shoulder, Laena wrote to the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. She asked about the whereabouts of the group travelling from King's Landing, but she also made sure to ask about Jon Snow, hoping that somehow he would be able to leave the Wall with her when she came for him.

The raven was sent, and they waited.

Fifty-three days after she left Robb in the middle of the night, Rickon came to her about a dream he had had the night before.

"Have any of your dreams ever come true, Laena?" he had asked as he curled up next to her on her bed, resting his head in her lap. She set her book down and ran her fingers through his shaggy hair.

"I can't say that they have. Have yours?" She returned the question, gazing down at him in curiosity.

Her hands froze and her breath hitched when he answered, "I dreamed of Father's death. Bran did too."

"You saw him die?" She prayed that that wasn't the case. She was a woman flowered and she still had nightmares about Eddard's execution. She could only imagine what that would do to a young child.

"I saw him in the crypts under Winterfell. I went down there to find him but he wasn't there." He looked up at her with big, sad eyes. "Maester Luwin got the raven later that day that Father was dead."

She pressed a light kiss to his forward and resumed brushing her hands through his hair soothingly until his soft snores began. Laena looked down at his peaceful face and smiled. At least he hadn't seen the manner in which his father died.

She picked up her book with her free hand and continued reading while Rickon slept, knowing that he wasn't plagued by the same nightmares that she was, and for now that was good enough.

Sixty-one days after she left Robb in the middle of the night, she received a raven from the Wall.

She sighed and closed her eyes tightly after she read what had been written messily on the parchment. It was short and vague, but she was able to make sense of what was written. _'Contact was lost a week ago.'_ She bit down on her lip to stop the train of curses that were on the tip of her tongue and continued reading. _'Jon Snow has accompanied the Lord Commander beyond the wall. His return is expected shortly.'_ Even Jon was beyond her reach at the moment. She sighed and tossed the parchment into the fire before dropping into the chair, feeling completely drain – emotionally, physically, and mentally. She would wait to hear from Jon before she left for the Wall, but once Jon was reunited with his brother in the Riverlands Laena was going to find Arya. She had made a promise to Jon that she would keep them safe in King's Landing, and she had failed him. She wasn't going to fail Eddard though. She was going to find Arya and get her safely back to Winterfell, and then she was going to return to King's Landing and get Sansa to safety as well.

She watched the flames lick the top of the stone hearth and rubbed her temples in slow, soothing circles. Of all the things she had imagined for her future, trying to play heroine was not one of them.

Seventy-seven days after she left Robb in the middle of the night, she woke to a stabbing pain in her abdomen and blood trailing down the inside of her thighs. She screamed as the pain grew, and soon Nell was in the room, calling frantically for the Maester.

But Laena didn't need Maester Luwin to tell her what was happening. She should have noticed the signs; she had gone nearly two moons without her moonblood, her stomach had hardened (though it wasn't the same firmness of her muscles that she was used to), she had been sick for days, and her breasts had grown tender. She had learned the signs from Lady Catelyn when she was younger, but she never thought that she could have been pregnant.

She was losing her child that she hadn't even realized was growing inside of her belly.

Laena gripped Nell's hand and rolled to her side, trying to alleviate some of the pain that was rolling through her abdomen. She squeezed her eyes shut and felt tears trail down her cheeks. She wasn't even sure why she was crying. Was it because the pain was more intense than anything that she's ever felt? Or was it because she was losing a babe that was half her, half Robb?

Maester Luwin looked at her with unconcealed shame in his eyes, and yet he gave her milk of the poppy to ease her pain and help her sleep while the babe passed. He did not ask any question. He simply confirmed her own thoughts of what was happening and walked out of the room, leaving Laena alone with Nell.

Nell stroked Laena's hair soothingly and asked, "My lady, is there anything else I can get you?" Laena shook her head and turned to her other side, wanting to avoid looking at Nell's sympathetic brown eyes. She didn't need sympathy. It was better this way. She couldn't be the mother of Robb's bastard. She should have realized that their actions would have consequences, but she never stopped to think that a child could have been made in their single dalliance. She stared at the wall for what seemed like an eternity before the milk of the poppy began to cloud her eyes. Soon, darkness enveloped her.

She dreamed of a different life, one that was happier than the one she currently lived. She was in Winterfell, dressed in dresses of grey and indigo, and had it not been for Robb and the small children, she would have believed that she was only dreaming of her past. She saw the child that she had lost, but only in this life he wasn't destined to be a bastard. He was a Prince of the North, just as Laena was Queen of the North. His bright blue eyes made her heart ache, and his dark hair was curly and unruly and Robb in all ways but color. She hugged the child and never wanted to let him go. Another child was there as well, a girl younger than her brother. She looked like an exact copy of Laena, and it made her smile. This was the life that she wanted, but when the images in her mind began to fade and her eyes started to flutter she knew that it wasn't the life that she was destined to lead. The Gods had proved their point over and over again that she would never marry, and by taking her child they proved she would never be a mother as well.

Rickon came to see her once she had woken up and been cleaned of all evidence of her lost babe. He laid on the bed with her and read to her, stumbling over some of the words that were still too difficult for him to read and pronounce. He closed the book when he finished reading and looked up at her with a concerned expression. "Are you going to be okay, Laena? Maester Luwin said that you had a fever."

Laena silently thanked the kind Maester for not divulging the truth of her condition and smiled at Rickon. "I'm getting better, little one. Don't worry."

Rickon pursed his lips and nodded, looking absent-mindedly at the book in his hands. They sat in comfortable silence until Nell told Rickon that it was time for his lessons, and after hugging Laena gently, he left her alone in her room.

She started to revert to that girl who had felt miserable in King's Landing. She hardly left her room and spent most of her time sleeping. She did not cry though. She would not cry.

Eighty-nine days after she left Robb in the middle of the night, she was woken from her sleep and dragged from her room by men that she didn't recognize. At first, Laena thought that she was dreaming. She did everything that she could to try to wake up, but nothing worked. When they dragged her though the halls, her bare feet cold and sore as she struggled to keep up with their pace, she realized that she wasn't dreaming. This was real and she had to fight. She tried to tear her arms away from their grip, but they only responded by gripping her arms tighter, their long, dirty nails biting into her flesh and making her hiss.

They finally emerged from the castle, and she shivered. She wore only her sleeveless night gown, and the air outside was drastically colder than the warmth of the castle. The men pulled her into the courtyard where she could see others gathered around. "Let me go!" she cried angrily as she writhed under their grip, trying to break free once more. A hand across her cheek effectively stopped her movement, but it only enflamed the fury behind her eyes. The men threw her to the ground then, and she could feel her night gown grow damp against the wet stones of the courtyard. A pair of feet came into her vision then, and she lifted her head to stare at the owner. The man that she saw before her made her body ignite with raw anger. "You son of a bitch!" She jumped at him, but the two men who had pulled her from her bed were there to grab her arms and hold her back. She glared at Theon, breathing heavily. Black spots started to dance across her vision as she grew angrier and angrier. "Robb fucking trusted you. He let you go back to your family, and this is how you repay him."

Theon's firm gaze wavered slightly before he took a sure step towards her. He looked down at her – as if he was better than her – and spat, "You shouldn't have come back here, Laena."

Just as he said that, a man that stood behind him shouted, "It's the cliff bitch." Laena huffed. She had never heard that name, but she wasn't surprised that it was being used by one of Greyjoy's men. "I say we kill the bitch and send her body back to her father as payment for what he did to you brother."

Theon spun on the man, angrily saying, "I make the decisions here, and I say she lives. She's worth more alive than dead."

"The cliff bitch isn't worth shit," another man called out. Laena turned her angry gaze on him and scoffed. The man had ragged hair and it looked as if he was missing a front tooth. "We should take our turns fucking the little cunt and then slit her long little throat."

"No one is touching her!" Theon called out to his men, his voice cracking slightly. Theon turned to her and informed her, "Bran has yielded Winterfell to me."

"You took a castle from a defenseless little boy. Congratulations," she said sarcastically. She shook free of the men's grip and went to Bran. She gripped his chin and turned his face this way and that, checking him for any injuries. "Did he hurt you?"

Bran shook his head. "No."

Laena looked at Rickon. "Are you okay, little one?" He nodded, and Laena turned back around to face Theon. "Just what do you plan to get out of taking Winterfell? Robb will send men the moment he learns what you've done." She narrowed her eyes and held her chin up. "Then Robb will see that I was right. He shouldn't have trusted you."

Theon opened his mouth to retort, but his words were lost in the shouts of his men entering the courtyard through the gate with Ser Rodrik being led by them. His face was bloodied and bruised, but the old knight still stood tall and proud as he tried to swing his elbows. "We caught this one on his way back from Torrhen's Square." Laena held an arm out to stop Maester Luwin as he took a step forward. "Took out two of ours before I got 'is sword," the big, fat one told Theon as he approached them.

"Ser Rodrik, it grieves me that we meet as foes." Laena snorted at Theon's false sympathies. That earned a glare, but when she narrowed her eyes at him as well Theon turned away from her.

Ser Rodrik looked at Theon with contempt clear in his eyes. "It grieves me that you have less honor than a back alley whore." Laena's eyes widened in shock after hearing Ser Rodrik's retort. "You were raised here," he continued, "under this roof. These people are your people."

"They are not my people!" Theon argued, his hands clenching into fists at his side.

Ser Rodrik ignored him and said, "Robb thought of you as a brother. You and Lady Laena even became friends under this roof. A Greyjoy and a Mallister."

Theon looked as if he hesitated for a moment, but he stepped closer to Ser Rodrik. "My brothers are dead. They died fighting Stark men." He turned and stared at Laena, looking at her accusingly. "They died fighting her father."

"Aye, they died fighting the war your father started," Ser Rodrik bellowed at him. "Lord Stark raised you amongst his own children."

"Among them but not one of them!" Suddenly Laena could see it. Theon had always wanted to be accepted by the Starks, but because of who he was Lady Catelyn and Lord Eddard never made him feel as comfortable as they did Laena. "I was his hostage, taken from my home."

"If he were alive to see this-"

Theon huffed and replied, "He's not. He's dead." That was when Laena began to see red. Her nails dug into the skin of her palms and she bit her lip, trying to steady her breathing. "The Seven Kingdoms are at war, and Winterfell is mine!"

That was when everything came crashing down. Ser Rodrik looked defiantly at Theon and uttered, "I should have put a sword in your belly instead of in your hand."

"You served this house faithfully, old man, but keep talking and I'll-" There was a collective gasp throughout the courtyard as Ser Rodrik spit in Theon's face, making the traitor grow even angrier. The men that held Ser Rodrik hit him in the back and knocked him to the ground, and Laena could hardly keep herself from charging at them. The only thing that stopped her was Bran's tentative glance in her direction. "Take him to the cells, lock him up and-" His sentence was cut short as one of his men – the tall one – stepped forward and said something too low for Laena to hear. "I'll lock him in a cell until he rots," Theon announced, but the man said something to him once again. Laena could hardly breathe as they waited for Theon to speak again, and she could see the fear clearly in the eyes of every Northerner present. Finally, Theon spoke again. "Ser Rodrik, I sentence you to death!"

Her breath hitched in her throat then, and she felt as if the air had been knocked completely out of her. Around her, people shouted their protests, but Bran was loudest beside her. "No! You said no harm would come to them if I yielded," Bran shouted at Theon across the courtyard. Laena squeezed his hand tightly, but not to comfort Bran. She did it to anchor her in her spot. Maester Luwin abandoned his place beside Osha and approached Theon.

"The old man couldn't keep his mouth shut!" Theon yelled in response as Maester Luwin reached out to him. "He disrespected me in front of my men. That was his decision, not mine!" Laena tried everything from counting her breaths to pinching her own arm, but nothing was able to alleviate the intense anger she felt. She curled her fingers into fist as she moved forward, and she would have attacked had it not been for Osha's hand curling around her arm and stopping her.

"You can't. The little ones need you, Lady Laena," she said, and it was enough to convince Laena to remain stationary as Theon's men forced Ser Rodrik to the block. Bran cried out beside her, and all she could do was hold his hand tighter. Her heart broke as Rickon cried out as well, and she pulled him into her side, trying her best to shield his eyes from what was about to happen. Theon drew his sword, and Bran cried out, begging him to stop one last time.

Laena watched sadly as Theon raised his sword. Bran had grown hysterical then, begging Theon not to kill Ser Rodrik, begging Maester Luwin to stop Theon, and begging Laena to do something. But she couldn't. She was helpless against Theon and his men, and there was nothing she could do to stop what was about to happen. Ser Rodrik looked at Bran and reassured him, "Hush now, child. I'm off to see your father." Bran quieted then, but Laena could see his lip quivering. Rickon was shaking against her as he was holding onto her night gown tightly, the fabric clutched in his hands. She hadn't even noticed that the rain had begun to fall again, and the raindrops on her face mimicked the tears that she would not shed.

Laena crouched down to hold Rickon to her even more closely and to assure that his head was buried in her shoulder and not watching as Theon killed their beloved Master-at-Arms. The rain fell harder as Theon swung the sword, bringing it into contact with Ser Rodrik's neck but not severing the head after one blow as a practiced swordsman would have done. Instead, it took more than three blows. Laena closed her eyes after the second and squeezed her eyes shut as Bran's cries filled her ears. She could feel Rickon sobbing against her, and her hands stoked his curls in an attempt to sooth him. "It'll be okay, little one. I promise, it'll be okay."

Ninety-three days after Laena left Robb in the middle of the night, Osha and Hodor crept away in the night with Bran and Rickon.

Rickon had begged Laena to go with them, but she explained why she couldn't. She had to stay and distract Theon for as long as she could. She knew that it would most likely result in getting herself hurt or, even worse, killed, but she had to do it for Bran and Rickon.

The morning they left, Laena remained in her room, reading as she waited for Theon to inevitably drag her from her room. He had taken longer than she had expected, but eventually her door swung open and Theon entered her room, visibly fuming.

"Where are they?" he asked, eyes bulging in anger. "I know you know where they are, so tell me before I make you tell me!"

Laena marked her page and set her book down before standing. "And just how exactly are you going to do to _make_ me, Theon? Are you going to torture me? Rape me? Let your men rape me?" Laena raised her chin and looked down her nose at him. "I don't care what you do to me. I won't tell you."

And she didn't care. When Theon took her into the courtyard and allowed his men to rip the back of her tunic open before whipping her with a horse whip, she remained silent. When they whipped again and again and again, she remained silent. When they laughed at her and called her _cliff bitch_ , she remained silent. Theon was wasting his time by punishing her, and the more time he wasted the further away Bran, Rickon, Osha, and Hodor would get before Theon tried to track them down without any information from her.

When the men were done whipping her, Nell came and helped her back to her room before putting her into a back and cleaning her wounds. Maester Luwin brought a poultice for the wounds and willow bark to dull the pain. Laena chewed on the bark while Nell applied the cool poultice, and soon she lay naked under her furs as darkness engulfed her.

She was woken later in the afternoon and escorted – more like dragged – to the courtyard, and when her eyes fell on the charred bodies of two children she cried out in pain. Pain for Rickon, pain for Bran, pain for Ser Rodrik, pain for her lost child. The levy had broken, and emotions coursed through her that she tried to deny. She glared at Theon through misty eyes as tears streaked down her face, and she wanted to kill him almost as much as she wanted to kill Joffrey Baratheon.

Ninety-nine days after Laena left Robb in the middle of the night, Yara Greyjoy and her men rode through the gates of Winterfell.

Yara, for as much as Laena wanted to hate her, berated Theon for killing Bran and Rickon. She watched silently as the two bickered in the Great Hall. (Theon had started forcing her to dine with him and his men). Yara Greyjoy had called Theon out for his actions, and Laena thought that maybe the girl wasn't so bad. That feeling didn't last long because the Greyjoy woman turned her gaze on Laena and said, "You killed the Stark boys but left the cliff bitch alive?"

Theon furrowed his brows. "Should we kill her?"

Laena took a deep breath and waited to hear the other girl's answer. "Are you a fucking idiot? The Northern Lords already want you dead because you killed the Stark boys. Do you want the Riverlands Lords to want you dead as well?" Yara scoffed at her younger brother. "Her father killed Rodrik. You think it'll be hard for him to kill you if you kill his darling little daughter?"

Theon hesitated for only a moment before answering, "Her father is older and weaker than he once was. I've seen him, Yara. He wouldn't be able to beat me." At that comment Laena laughed, trying to hide it behind her hand.

"Is her older brother old and weak as well? Will you be able to beat him, too?"

Laena did laugh out loud that time, and Theon instantly turned his anger on her. "Get her out of here!"

Nell escorted her back to her rooms, but Laena laughed the entire way there, making sure that everyone in the halls of Winterfell could hear the echoes.

One hundred days after Laena left Robb in the middle of the night, Maester Luwin came to her in the night and beckoned for her to follow him into the crypts beneath Winterfell.

It was dark and Laena could barely see in front of her, but her hearing was amplified with the loss of her sense of sight in the darkness. She could hear the wind howling in the entrance of the crypts and the sound of rodents scurrying around their feet, but what she heard as they went deeper into the crypt brought happy tears to the surface, stinging at her eyes. When a candle was lit and she could see what was in front of her, she let out a strangled, happy cry before rushing forward to engulf the little boys in her arms.

"It'll be okay, Laena," Rickon whispered as he hugged her tightly, repeating the words she had said to him only a little over a week ago.

One hundred and six days after Laena left Robb in the middle of the night, she hid a dagger under her pillow before pulling the furs up to her chin and pretending to sleep.

When the sounds of the men in the courtyard had dissipated and the sky outside of her window had turned dark, she threw the furs away from her body before stripping from her night gown and putting on trousers and a tunic in its place. She put on the black doublet that she had left in Winterfell when she left for King's Landing and wrapping her fingers firmly around the dagger. She had crept through the shadows before, but this time, if she were caught it would mean her death. Laena pushed the door open hesitantly and stuck her head out of the door. She looked left, right, and left again, and when she was sure that no one was in the hall she crept from her room and into the hallway, clasping her cloak tightly around her shoulders. If she could make it to the stables and avoid any arrows that the guards on the wall may loose at her, then she would be able to ride south and reach Robb and his army within two moons.

She tried to stay close to the shadows and avoid the moonlight that was shining through the windows. She had nearly made it to the doors leading to the courtyard when a guard came around the corner. He looked at her, glancing suspiciously down at the glinting sliver of silver in her hand. She panicked and struck the man with the back of her closed fist before drawing the blade over his throat. She backed away, horrified that she had actually just killed a man – she was truthfully all talk up until that moment – and that his blood shone bright red on her blade in the moonlight.

She turned and ran, throwing stealth out the window as she emerged from the castle and sprinted across the courtyard towards the stables. The sounds of men shouting and the light of torches filled her sense, and she knew that she wouldn't have time to saddle her horse. She threw the leather reins around the horse and urged it forward, praying to the Seven and to the Old Gods that she escape Winterfell with her life.

They had been kind to her when they let her escape King's Landing so many moons ago, and they would be kind to her again.

She looked over her shoulder at the shrinking Winterfell on the horizon and somehow she knew that Theon and his men wouldn't go after her.

She knew she was safe for now.


End file.
